Faith in Jesus Christ is our response to God's elective purpose in our life. These two truths–God's initiative and man's response–co-exist throughout the Bible. The gospel is "the message of truth" because truth is its predominant characteristic. Salvation was conceived by the God of truth (Ps. 31:5); purchased by the Son, who is the truth (John 14:6); and is applied by the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). To know it is to know the truth that sets men free (John 8:32). Believers are people of the truth (John 18:37), who worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and who obey the Word of truth (John 17:17). People have rejected, neglected, redefined, and opposed God’s truth for centuries. Some cynically deny that truth even exists or that it can be known by men (John 18:38). Others foolishly think that denying truth will somehow make it go away. Truth determines the validity of one's belief. Believing a lie doesn't make it true. Conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie. The gospel is true because Jesus is true, not simply because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the truth of His claims and constitutes the objective basis of our faith (Rom. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:3). Truth is our protection and strength (Eph. 6:14). Throughout history, people have tried everything imaginable to gain favor with God. Most turn to religion, but religion apart from Christ is merely a satanic counterfeit of the truth. At the heart of every false religion is the notion that man can come to God by any means he chooses–by meditating, doing good deeds, and so on. But Scripture says, "There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus Christ, and we come to Him by confessing and repenting of our sin, trusting in His atoning death on the cross, and affirming His bodily resurrection from the grave (cf. Rom. 10:9-10). There is no other way to God. False religious leaders and teachers talk much about God’s love, but not His wrath and holiness; much about how deprived of good things people are, but not about their depravity; much about God’s universal fatherhood toward everyone, but not much about his unique fatherhood toward all who believe in His Son; much about what God wants to give to us, but nothing about the necessity of obedience to Him; much about health and happiness, but nothing about holiness and sacrifice. Their message is full of gaps, the greatest of which leaves out a biblical worldview of the saving gospel and replaces it with the worldview of postmodernism with its dominant ethical system of relativism. The Bible describes mankind in the end times: “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). Spiritual answers cannot be deduced by human reason alone (1 Cor. 2:14). It’s not that spiritual truth is irrational or illogical, but that human wisdom is defective, because it’s tainted by man’s sinfulness, and unable to perceive the things of God. That is why the Bible is so important. It gives us the answers we can’t find on our own. It is God’s Word to mankind. Scripture is divinely revealed truth that fills the vacuum of spiritual ignorance in all of us. Post-truth is the word of the year for 2016 and also the philosophy of the day, According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. In a “post-truth” world, people make choices based on emotion and experience rather than objective fact. So in a post-truth world, truth is irrelevant. What exactly is a post-truth culture? It’s a culture where truth is no longer an objective reality. It has become subjective. It’s what’s true for me—my beliefs, my opinions, determine my truth. So in our post-truth culture, man determines truth. Man makes himself the ultimate authority. This starting point, which rejects God’s Word and the idea of moral absolutes, makes truth subjective. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Christianity is grounded in objective truth. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Objective truth exists because we have God’s Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Thy word is truth” (John 17:17), and Paul and James describe the Bible as “the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:18). The Psalmist says, “The entirety of your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus Himself said, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). When Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6), He wasn’t expressing His personal belief or opinion. He was speaking the truth, a fundamental reality that doesn’t change from person to person. It doesn’t matter if our culture thinks all roads lead to God. The truth of the matter is “no one comes to the Father but by [Jesus].” This blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell

Monthly Archives: February 2016

Two weeks after Justice Antonin Scalia’s unexpected death, the court starting Monday will offer clues about how it will operate during what could be an extended vacancy. The eight remaining justices will start deciding whether to accept new cases that could split them 4-4, and what to do about pending disputes that already have them deadlocked.

If you’ve been paying attention to auction coverage recently, the outlook seems grim: The value of artworks on offer has plummeted, volume and totals are down significantly, and various news organizations (including this one) have sounded ominous warnings of an imminent market decline.

Contracts to purchase previously owned homes unexpectedly dropped in January by the most in two years, representing a setback in residential real estate leading up to the spring selling season. The pending home sales index fell 2.5 percent, the biggest drop since December 2013.

At the very top of his newly constructed condo tower in SoHo, developer Kevin Maloney saw a problem: a triplex penthouse priced at $45 million that he knew wouldn’t sell in a Manhattan market where luxury deals are slowing. So he ripped up the floor plan and chopped the apartment into two more-manageable units. Had the building, not been almost complete, he would have carved the penthouse into three. The changes will create a 3,000-square-foot apartment spanning the 15th floor, priced at $11 million, and a 5,400-square-foot duplex above it, for $29.5 million, Maloney said. With that strategy, “the buyer pool widens.

The number of wealthy investors granted visas to live in the U.K. fell 84 percent last year after the government doubled the minimum investment required for the permit to $2.8 million in November 2014. New checks that mean applicants have to go through anti-money laundering due diligence checks may also be restricting demand.

Chinese stocks fell, with the benchmark index approaching the lowest level since November 2014, as some investors were disappointed by a lack of specific measures to boost growth during the Group of 20 meetings in Shanghai.

North Korea said a detained U.S. college student has confessed to a hostile act against the country by taking down a propaganda sign in Pyongyang, further testing relations with the U.S. as the Obama administration pushes for tougher sanctions against the regime.

U.S. Treasury 10-year futures may continue to underperform gold over the medium-term in a global fixed-income environment punctuated by negative rates as the relative opportunity cost of holding the yellow metal decreases.

AP Top Stories

Parents of Kenwood Academy students said they watched an act of racism at an event meant to bring students together. They said students from Barrington High School held a mock slave auction in an attempt to show school spirit.

Lithuanians are taking an agonizing closer look at their forefathers’ role in killing Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust, a dark chapter of the Baltic country’s history that was hidden for decades. A series of books and films has triggered national soul-searching by making the point that while Lithuanians were the victims of Nazi and Soviet occupation of the country, at times they too were perpetrators of crimes and their victims were Jews.

The 106 Burmese pythons captured over a month-long hunt won’t help control Florida’s invasive snake population, but wildlife officials said that doesn’t matter as much as the awareness they bring to the state’s environmental concerns.

Demolition has begun in the ‘jungle’ camp in Calais, the makeshift site that has become a temporary home for thousands of migrants.

The trial of a former SS medic on 3,681 counts of accessory to murder for allegedly helping the Nazis’ Auschwitz death camp function appeared close to collapse Monday, after a doctor found the 95-year-old unfit to be transported to the court.

Japan signed an agreement to supply defense equipment to the Philippines, the first such Japanese defense pact in a region where the U.S. allies have been alarmed by China’s aggressive advances in disputed territories.

Five Cambodian fishermen have been arrested for a brutal attack on a group of French tourists in which two women were raped at knifepoint on an isolated Thai beach, police said Monday.

Six cases of the mutilation and murder of children as “good luck” sacrifices were reported during the recent Ugandan elections, a children’s charity said.

BBC

An aid convoy has reached one of several besieged towns in Syria, as the UN takes advantage of a partial truce brokered by the US and Russia.

Pakistan has hanged the former police bodyguard who shot dead Punjab’s governor over his opposition to blasphemy laws, officials said.

A Guatemala court has sentenced two former members of the military to 360 years in jail for the murder, rape and sexual enslavement of indigenous women.

A knife-wielding attacker has stabbed 10 children outside a primary school in southern China before killing himself, according to police.

Police in the Russian capital Moscow have arrested a woman on suspicion of murdering a child after she was found apparently carrying a severed head.

WND

In Iraq, the death toll from devastating back-to-back market bombings carried out by ISIS the previous day in eastern Baghdad climbed to 73 on Monday, officials said.

An appeals court has been asked to revive a lawsuit over a college’s decision to “verbally abuse,” penalize academically and threaten with a “blacklist” several students in a sonography course who objected to being used as transvaginal ultrasound test subjects for their classmates, who included men.

Seismic Faults Produce Deadly Levels Of Carbon Monoxide In California
Deadly and unprecedented levels of carbon monoxide are being released into the atmosphere across the west coast of America due to unusual activity on seismic faults. Scientists have yet to confirm the cause, but experts are suggesting that the Earth may be emitting the dangerous gas via seismic fault lines – cracks in the earth’s surface where tectonic plates rub against each other.

Moscow: Muslim woman arrested holding child’s severed head
…rescue forces responding to a fire at a nearby apartment complex found the headless body of a young child aged three or four years old. The killer is believed to have been babysitting the young girl. She reportedly beheaded the child before setting the apartment on fire.

U.S. court test on abortion reflects success of strategy shift
When the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday hears a major abortion case…at issue…standards for doctors and facilities where the procedure is performed. That the high court is taking up a case about such arcane regulations reflects the success of a legal strategy that abortion opponents embraced about a decade ago and initially caught some abortion-rights advocates off guard.

Kofi Annan on Why It’s Time To Legalize Drugs
Drugs are dangerous, but current narcotics policies are an even bigger threat because punishment is given a greater priority than health and human rights. It’s time for regulations that put lives and safety first, argues former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. …This year, between April 19 and 21, the United Nations General Assembly will hold a special session on drugs and the world will have a chance to change course.

Energy price slump sends eurozone into deflation
Consumer prices in the eurozone fell sharply in February to minus 0.2%, putting more pressure on the European Central Bank. The slide into deflation is a sharp reversal from the revised 0.3% increase recorded in January. It is the first fall in inflation since September when it shrank by 0.1%, according to Eurostat.

Migrants charge through Macedonia fence on Greek border
A crowd of migrants has burst through a barbed-wire fence on the Macedonia-Greece border using a steel pole as a battering ram. TV footage showed migrants pushing against the fence at Idomeni, ripping away barbed wire, as Macedonian police let off tear gas to force them away. A section of fence was smashed open with the battering ram. It is not clear how many migrants got through.

Women activists to launch freedom flotilla to break the siege on Gaza
The Freedom Flotilla coalition has announced that a women’s boat to Gaza is expected to set sail for the Strip…to break the blockade on the coastal territory and express solidarity with the Palestinian people… In an interview…Dr. Essam Youssef, the head of the Popular International Committee to support the Gaza Strip…will announce the launch of the flotilla on…March 8.

‘Palestinian Authority collapse a question of when, not if’
The Palestinian Authority is going to collapse whether Jerusalem wants it to or not, and Israel will pay the price in terrorism evolving out of the ensuing anarchy, Immigrant and Absorption Minister Ze’ev Elkin said Monday. Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s…security cabinet, said…that the current wave of terror is just a “promo” for what will happen after the PA collapses.

U.S. shale’s message for OPEC: above $40, we are coming back
For leading U.S. shale oil producers, $40 is the new $70. Less than a year ago major shale firms were saying they needed oil above $60 a barrel to produce more; now some say they will settle for far less in deciding whether to crank up output after the worst oil price crash in a generation.

Pentagon Research Could Make ‘Brain Modem’ a Reality
The Pentagon is attempting what was, until recently, an impossible technological feat—developing a high-bandwidth neural interface that would allow people to beam data from their minds to external devices and back.

THE FOUNDATION

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Navy SEAL Edward Byers wears a St. Michael the Archangel patch on his back. Before going into battle, the Roman Catholic always prays to the angel that leads God’s army in the book of Revelation for protection, drawing strength to be away from his wife and daughter. It was a prayer he most likely prayed before he ran through a darkened Afghan doorway where he knew a host of Taliban lay waiting. It was the night of Dec. 8, 2012, and SEAL Team Six had hiked four hours to get to this one-room hut, a place the U.S. military believed the Taliban was keeping captured U.S. citizen Dr. Dilip Joseph. Moments before, a Taliban guard discovered the rescue party as it was 25 meters away. As Petty Officer 1st Class Nicholas Checque dived through the six layers of blankets that made up the hut’s door, he was cut down by AK-47 fire. Byers followed, shot a man aiming a rifle at him, and tackled another man who was scrambling for a weapon in the corner. After realizing that he did not have Joseph, Byers fought the man, then jumped on top of Joseph, using his body as a shield while pinning a Taliban fighter to the wall by one hand. The rescue was successful.

It is for this action that the White House is awarding Byers the Medal of Honor at a ceremony today. He is the first member of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group to receive the nation’s highest medal for valor, and the first member of the Navy still living to receive the commendation since the Vietnam War. And as a member of the Special Forces, it’s difficult for him. “I’ve lived my entire career a very private life,” Byers said. “We don’t talk about what we do, and this honor carries with it some obligations that I need to carry out. You know, you follow those through. But, I plan to continue doing my job as normal and to continue being a SEAL. It’s something I love and grew up wanting to be.” That is the true mark of a hero: a willingness to pay the ultimate sacrifice, but the humility to do it again and again.

Just like a dictator of a third-world country, Donald Trump can’t stand anyone criticizing him. That’s why on Friday, Trump told his cheering acolytes that he wants to rewrite the nation’s libel laws so he can sue newspapers and journalists he thinks are unfair. “One of the things I’m gonna do if I win,” Trump said, “is I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles we can sue them and win lots of money. We’ll open up those libel laws so that when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post … writes a hit piece we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they are totally protected.”

Trump knows a thing or two about suing journalists for libel. He lost a libel lawsuit in 2011 after a journalist wrote Trump was only worth $250 million, not the billions the reality TV personality claimed. All of Trump’s money and all of Trump’s men couldn’t prevail against a lone book author because the statement couldn’t be proved false. In other words, truth is the defense against a libel lawsuit. This is a principle established at the dawn of our nation’s founding when a colonial governor attempted to shut down a newspaper published by John Peter Zenger in 1734. The jury ruled that a statement cannot be libelous if it’s true. But reality isn’t where Trump wants to be right now.

Furthermore, Trump’s “reasoning” that the media is unfair and that’s a reason for suing them for everything they’ve got does not take into account the state of newspapers during the start of our nation. As Hot Air’s Taylor Millard points out, newspapers then were wildly partisan, championed agendas and were set up by the powerful to attack other papers. (So sort of like today.) “Balance” and “fairness” wasn’t in the vocabulary of those early journalists, yet that is the environment that gave birth to the First Amendment and its protections we have today — an environment Trump cannot tolerate.

In other Trump news, he was endorsed by Chris Christie Friday and Sen. Jeff Sessions Saturday — the first, a craven play for political influence by a man determined to get back at those who cost him the race; and the second, a sign that perception of Trump’s strength on immigration trumps the fact that he hired illegals for “jobs Americans won’t do.”

Meanwhile, Trump refused three times to reject the endorsement of former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, saying, “I don’t know anything about” him. That’s a lie. He certainly knew about Duke in 2000, when he left the Reform Party because of him. Now that Trump’s trying to win the Republican nomination, however, he can’t be bothered to stand for principle until he’s hectored about it. After blaming a “bad earpiece” in the first interview, he finally did “disavow” Duke.

Maybe that’s all why Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a real conservative, announced over the weekend that he will not vote for Trump if he’s the nominee. He won’t be the last.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS

If there’s one thing the current election cycle has made clear, it’s the reality that millions of Americans feel utterly disenfranchised. Their anger and frustration are driven by the daunting realization that neither political party represents their interests. This despicable status quo begs the simplest question, one every candidate running for elective office in 2016 should be forced to answer: Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where there is a clear understanding of right and wrong, not one dominated by the “anything goes” cultural sewage churned out on a regular basis by Hollywood and the mainstream media. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation that puts Americans first — one with definable, enforceable borders and one where Rule of Law is paramount — not one that gratifies the desires of millions of illegals and their cadre of elitist supporters aiming to fundamentally transform our national character, using cheap votes and cheap labor to do so. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where we no longer cater to the lowest common denominator of human behavior to accommodate “root causes,” the “soft bigotry of low expectations,” or a multiculturalist mishmash that excuses misogyny, anti-Semitism, and racism under the rubric of “celebrating our differences.” Who speaks for us?

We want to live a nation with an educational system that teaches children how to think, not what to think. A system where ideological indoctrination social promotion, grade inflation, worthless diplomas, “creative” math, and the generalized dumbing-down of vulnerable children is tossed on the ash heap of history. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where merit and excellence matter, not one where millions of “snowflakes” have been cushioned by trigger warnings, micro-aggressions, speech codes and helicopter parents who believe everyone should get a trophy just for showing up. A nation where the content of one’s character is far more important than the color of one’s skin, one’s gender, one’s sexual orientation, or one’s membership in a particular grievance group. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where the Constitution is defended for what it actually says, not what some people would like it to mean because a “living” interpretation of the document accommodates their agenda, political correctness or the latest trend. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where we don’t burden our children and grandchildren with unconscionable levels of debt that will destroy their standard of living, one where able-bodied people are expected to work for a living, and one where the free-market capitalism that rewards ambition, risk-taking and talent isn’t subsumed by a government-controlled crony-capitalist oligarchy that stifles competition and picks winners and losers. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation with the strongest military in the world, not one debased by social engineering. A military that only sends men and women into harm’s way when our national security is threatened, and one that utterly rejects such nonsense as “winning hearts and minds,” restrictive and dangerous Rules of Engagement, and politically correct warfare that elevates concerns for collateral damage above the lives of American soldiers. A military with only one objective in mind when it becomes necessary to put the nation’s blood and treasure at risk: unambiguous victory. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where states’ rights are once again paramount, where 50 separate constituencies would be given maximum freedom to innovate, to compete, and do anything else to improve the lives of their citizens without the interfering heavy hand of the District of Columbia. A nation where people intuitively understand government operates best from the local level outwards, not the federal level inward. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where we treat our allies like the friends they are, and our enemies with the suspicion they have earned. A nation where foreign policy is grounded in reality, not faculty-lounge-inspired wishful thinking. A nation that will no longer send foreign aid to people who hate us, based on the dubious assertion we can buy their loyalty and admiration. Who speaks for us?

We want to live in a nation where we celebrate our exceptionalism, not identify only by our shortcomings. Those who insist otherwise should be asked to explain why people all over the world are beating a path to our shores. Who speaks for us?

As the opening of the Constitution states, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”

“We the people” is us, not a bunch of self-interested politicians and their well connected benefactors. A “more perfect” union is an aspiration. We must not allow our pursuit of that perfection to be the enemy of our goodness. Same goes for establishing justice and insuring domestic tranquility.

As for the next two items, it’s important to note the critical distinction between providing for the commence defense and promoting the general welfare. It is the government’s constitutionally mandated duty to provide protection for the nation. It is not the government’s duty to provide for the peoples’ welfare, but rather to promote the conditions that allow a free people to provide for their own welfare, that of their families and those Americans who are truly in need.

As for the blessings of Liberty, the implication is clear: There is a higher power from which those blessings are secured and it does not emanate from Washington, state legislatures or local governments. As Thomas Jefferson so eloquently explained in the Declaration of Independence, all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” There are millions of Americans who cherish that wisdom, even as they still understand it is the ultimate foundation of the greatest nation ever devised by man.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Rebecca Hagelin: “It’s no wonder that Donald Trump still supports and extols the virtues of Planned Parenthood, the organization that betrays women and girls at the most vulnerable time in their lives; the organization that encourages our teen daughters to be sexually active; the organization that is now notorious for selling baby body parts. It is the very philosophy of Planned Parenthood that Donald Trump uses to justify his decadent lifestyle choices. To both, women are largely sexual objects and men are allowed to treat them that way. … Rest assured, the truth about Trump will [eventually] be headlines and the fantasy war on women will become a credible narrative. And whichever liberal, socialist Democratic candidate is nominated will easily be elected President of the United States. Worse still, every Evangelical leader who cozied up to Mr. Trump and was seduced into supporting him will be embarrassed and shamed, and the body of Christ will suffer. I’ve spent much of my adult life fighting pornography because it is evil, because it victimizes and degrades women and destroys men and families. It is beyond tragic that so many of my Republican and Christian brothers and sisters have forgotten that it is the moral fiber of a country that determines its ultimate destiny. If the GOP disregards moral, principled leaders in favor of one who promises only great riches, then we deserve neither. Yes, Donald Trump promises to ‘Make America Great Again.’ What he and his supporters fail to realize is that America will never be great again if we are not first good again.”

SHORT CUTS

The Gipper: “Government is like a baby. It is an alimentary canal with an appetite at one end and a no sense of responsibility at the other.”

For the record: “We are about to learn much about Republican officeholders who are now deciding whether to come to terms with Trump, and with the shattering of their party as a vessel of conservatism. Trump’s collaborators, like the remarkably plastic Chris Christie (‘I don’t think [Trump’s] temperament is suited for [the presidency]’), will find that nothing will redeem the reputations they will ruin by placing their opportunism in the service of his demagogic cynicism and anti-constitutional authoritarianism.” —George Will

Upright: “It is beyond tragic that so many of my Republican and Christian brothers and sisters have forgotten that it is the moral fiber of a country that determines its ultimate destiny. If the GOP disregards moral, principled leaders in favor of one who promises only great riches, then we deserve neither.” —Rebecca Hagelin

Belly laugh of the week: “I am not a natural politician, like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. … I invest a lot of energy and a lot of my own emotion into what I do, and I think sometimes instead of that being as easy to understand as I would like it to be, it sometimes is a little bit nerve-wracking.” —Hillary Clinton

Race bait: “I think many people would like to see an African American on the Supreme Court. We don’t really need to go into Clarence Thomas’ background or his behavior on the Court, but I think to have an African-American voice that has definitely not been there since Thurgood Marshall would really be an incredible contribution to our country.” —Rep. Karen Bass

The BIG lie: “Anyone who says we’re not absolutely better off today than we were seven years ago, they’re not leveling with you. They’re not telling the truth.” —Barack Obama

NEWSFLASH: “He’s not supposed to be doing that.” —John Kerry remarking on Ibrahim al-Qosi, an ex-Gitmo prisoner who escaped captivity in Sudan to foment jihad

And last… “Hillary confused the Constitution with the Declaration of Independence. When one has never read either, what difference does it make?” —Twitter satirist @weknowwhatsbest

Jordan Smith, recent winner of NBC’s award-winning show The Voice, wowed audiences with a stunning rendition of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” at the National Religious Broadcasters’ annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

Religion In America Attacked Twice As Much In Last Three Years Indicates New Report

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Gospel Herald

The number of hostile acts against religious freedom in America has doubled in the past three years, according to a new report issued by lawyers at Texas-based First Liberty Institute, an organization founded in 1997. Entitled “Undeniable: The Survey to Hostility in America,” the report documents attempts to suppress or threaten religious liberty. The first section of the report is devoted to how “hostility to religion harms every American.”

Why True Christianity is Dispensational

Despite the mounting criticism, orthodox Christians are dispensational whether they admit it or not simply due to the very nature of our Scriptures. While many accept this reality and embrace it, many more deny it and vainly attempt theological work-arounds that end up failing on numerous levels. They fail because they are either overly complicated, or overly simplified and fail to grasp the enormity, simplistic intricacy, and beauty of our God’s grand design. Since the Bible in and of itself is Dispensational one thing must first be clarified; what defines Dispensationalism?

Get ready for another collection of unbiblical dialog and drama that NEVER HAPPENED. The Young Messiah is the movie that will be releasing March 11 in theaters across the nation (Just in time for Resurrection Sunday!), but the world premiere happened in January at the Billion Soul Network’s NAR-based Synergize 2016 conference.” “Young Messiah is […]

Is The Emerging Church History, or Has it Entered Your Church?

Recently, I read a Facebook post by a southern California pastor stating that the “emerging church” was no longer a problem for him or his church. He also stated that the “emerging church” was just another passing fad that had come and then disappeared never to be heard of again. His church was going to focus on what was positive and insinuated that “hyper discernment ministries” were scaring his sheep into believing they were living in the last days and that apostasy was rampant.

The comments by this pastor are not uncommon. In fact, there are few shepherds today who are warning the sheep in their flocks of the dangers that lurk not only outside the fold but also within their own fold that they are called to protect. A good shepherd must keep watch over his flock as there are many wolves lurking around seeking whom they may devour. Ignoring these dangers does not make the problems go away. Sheep can easily be misled by false unbiblical teachings that act as a grain of arsenic in a milk shake. The milk shake may look and taste good, but the grain of arsenic will be enough to kill someone.

When a pastor makes the claim that the emerging church is history, this shows that he is either uninformed or that he is willingly ignorant. Sad to say, it can be both, and he may not even know it. The emerging church has many stealth methods to find its way under the radar, including when emerging church leaders rename it time and again. Satan is a master deceiver and knows what he is doing. In the early stages of the emergent church takeover, the methods may have been somewhat more obvious, at least to those with God-given discernment.

Now that the vast majority of churches have been inoculated with the poison, fewer and fewer sheep have any discernment, and worse yet their shepherd/pastors have fallen asleep. They are still looking for ways to replace the older generation who “smelled a rat” and left. Now these pastors are looking for ways to fill the pews with novel ideas that appeal to the flesh.

This commentary will touch on one area that will prove that the emerging church has not been buried and is still alive and “well” in many churches. One of the most effective ways for contemplative mysticism along with other eastern mystical beliefs to creep in is through books that are recommended for the women of the church to read in the “Ladies Ministry.” Many of these books, like Jesus Calling by Sarah Young or One Thousand Gifts by Ann VosKamp, are read and studied in place of the Bible.

In fact, in many churches, such books do replace the Bible. Rather than teach verse by verse though a book of the Bible, the leader of the women’s study teaches page by page through a book that is very appealing to the flesh and provides additional revelation to the Bible. When a discerning woman in the study goes to the pastor and expresses her concerns, she is often chided for being divisive, or her concerns are totally overlooked.

One of the problems is this: often the pastor’s wife is the leader of the women’s study. He may even recognize that his own wife is off track but doesn’t want to rock the boat. Or he may not realize what’s going on at all. Whatever the case, recognizing the danger of what is happening and taking action is not in his portfolio. Soon, the women have their husbands read the books they are reading and then they too become inoculated with unbiblical ideas. And many times, it’s actually the pastor who is reading the books and sharing their content with his congregation and his family. Before long, the church that was once right on is right off.

In the future I will give further examples of how emergent apostasy is spreading like wildfire around the world. The only way to slow this delusion down is to shine the light of God’s Word on Satan’s plan. However, therein lies the problem. Human pride will never be corrected by the truth unless leaders will humble themselves. Unfortunately, most who have chosen the path they are on have no intention to change. Even when they are chided with love, they hurl back nasty names rather than repent.

ARTICLES I LIKE FROM AROUND THE WEB:(Click title to go to full article)

Risen: A Pastor’s Movie Review – “About 2/3 of the way through the movie, I was ready to begin my review this way: “Risen is intriguing, but it’s not great.” I’d have talked about how the costumes, acting, and setting were well done, and that the plot of the film was an interesting idea but could have been executed better. Sometimes it was on the mark and other times searching for something to do. But by the end of the film, I began to dread writing this review at all. The movie completely fell apart, going from an average wagon to one with no wheels yet still trying to drag it down the sidewalk. Whatever redeeming qualities it had in the first half are completely lost in the second. Risen is just not a good movie, and an even worse Bible movie.”

A Crash Course on Scripture – “Seeing that I haven’t been home in around a week since I had a huge tradeshow this past weekend, the modesty post that was going to be up is not ready… but I do have something to share that has been in my draft folder for a while. The following is a handout I use in church when I’m giving a class on basic bible doctrine.”

Why Does God Call Them Shepherds? – “CEO, president, even king—there are several leadership models that inform and define how modern pastors function in their churches. And with the current obsession of innovating new leadership styles, techniques, and structures, you can be sure that many more will rise in popularity in the coming years. However, as Cameron pointed out last time, the one leadership model that Scripture repeatedly emphasizes—the shepherd—has been cast aside and trampled over by many of today’s church leaders.”

Politics and the Pulpit – “It’s no secret that we’re in a heated political season. Many people are suffering from political fatigue, and it’s merely February. November is quite a distance off and the heat will certainly be turned up on the political landscape as summer approaches. As we consider politics, what role does the pulpit serve in relation to politics? Does it have any business weighing in on the issues, the candidates, and seeking to influence the voters? For some, this is a cut and dry issue and they claim the idea of separation of church and state as an absolute rule. What exactly does that separation look like and is it complete separation?”

Why did God tell us about the future? – “I enjoy conversations about end times. It’s fascinating how otherwise mostly like-minded godly people can differ so sharply on the timing and events surrounding the return of King Jesus. These conversations can get complex. It is a complicated conversation because the differences do not start with a discussion of the end, per se, the differences stem from fundamental interpretive differences in how the Bible is read even starting in Genesis. A degree of difference early yields a major chasm at the end. While these discussions about when and how are important, it is vital that we not to get lost in the minutia and forget the most important piece. We aren’t given information about the future simply to complete our timelines, we are told about the future so we can live well. The purpose of eschatology is to put some ballast into the belly of the saints. I appreciate a good timeline, but let’s make sure to recognize why we know what we know about the future. God has not given us a crystal ball, he’s given us a Bible so that we may live well for God’s glory. Through the Word and by his Spirit we have everything we need for life and godliness. Let’s look at a few passages that demonstrate how knowledge of the future impacts life in the present.”

This is a fascinating little video that looks back to the year that video games almost died out.

This Day in 1948. Richard Wurmbrandt, author of Tortured for Christ and founder of Voice of the Martyrs, was arrested on his way to church. He then spent many years in prison for his faith and was tortured many times. *

“The truth is that this trial—the most suffering we’ve ever faced—has been an immeasurable blessing. It has been such a blessing because of the amazing church we attend, a church with leaders who prepare their people to suffer.”

A married Christian student with four children has been expelled from his university because he wrote a post on Facebook opposing gay marriage. Felix Ngole, aged 38, was asked to leave the University of Sheffield, where he was in the second year of a Masters in social work. He is to appeal against the decision, which came after members of the faculty decided he might have “caused offence” to some people for expressing support for Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk jailed after refusing to issue same-sex marriage licences.

In the comments on Facebook profile, which were not visible to anyone outside his circle of friends, he quoted Leviticus in support of biblical teaching on marriage and sexual ethics. The post was brought to the attention of the faculty at Sheffield. Following a Faculty of Social Sciences “fitness to practise” committee hearing, he was advised he has been “excluded from further study on a programme leading to a professional qualification” and is “no longer recognised as a University student”. READ MORE

North Korea on Saturday boasted of a newly developed anti-tank weapon that its leader said was so powerful it could turn the most heavily armoured enemy tanks into “boiled pumpkin”. Pyongyang’s state media said leader Kim Jong-Un had watched tests of the portable, laser-guided rocket and declared it had the “longest firing range in the world”, and was “as accurate as a sniper’s rifle”.

“He noted with great satisfaction that even the special armoured tanks and cars of the enemies which boast their high manoeuvrability and striking power are no more than a boiled pumpkin before the anti-tank guided weapon”, the KCNA news agency. Kim called for the weapon to go into mass production as soon as possible and for it to be deployed to frontline units and coastal defence units.

With a siege mentality bordering on paranoia, North Korea maintains a huge military. It has some 1.2 million active troops out of a population of around 25 million — double the size of the armed forces in South Korea, which has twice as many people. READ MORE

With primary season well underway, Democrats and Republicans across 13 states will venture out to the polls this upcoming Super Tuesday, set for March 1. Voters from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming will participate in their respective caucuses and primaries, making it the biggest day of 2016 Presidential Election season so far. “It looks like we should have a positive turnout,” AccuWeather Business Intelligence Manager and Meteorologist Tim Loftus said.

Loftus utilized L2 as a resource when conducting his research, which included analyzing weather trends and voter data to election seasons dating as far back as 1996. According to the research, weather does impact how some voters respond when making a decision to head to the polls. Take a look at several of the states where data could be obtained on how weather may influence voters on Super Tuesday. READ MORE

Israel is highly concerned by the prospect of a stronger Iranian presence in Syria, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon told his Italian counterpart, Roberta Pinotti, on Monday in Tel Aviv. Ya’alon, who met with Pinotti at his Tel Aviv bureau, praised defense relations between Israel and Italy, and pointed out the use by the IAF of Italy’s M346 training plane.

Although Israel would very much like the Syrian civil war to come to an end, the conflict, which has led to half a million casualties and ten million refugees, “is still continuing at this time. It has not completely stopped,” Ya’alon said. Israel is “very concerned by the strengthening of Iran in Syria, which will lead to a strengthening of the Shi’ite axis, in a negative manner,” Ya’alon said. “This could encourage Iran to continue to activate a terror front against us from the Golan Heights. READ MORE

Two moderately large explosions occurred at the volcano yesterday noon from 12:12 local time. The first and larger explosion produced an ash plume that rose approx. 5000 meters above the summit. The ash plume dispersed mainly to the west and northwest where ash fall occurred in areas including Choglontús, Pillate, Cahuaji and El Manzano.

According to IGEPN, the eruption – which came after a 3 months interval of quiet since last November – was most likely NOT the result of new magma, but instead of accumulated gas pressure in the upper conduit. Magmatic gasses (H2O, CO2 etc) still contained in older magma inside the conduit was being released quietly as the magma continued to cool and crystallize, but most of these gasses were being trapped beneath a solid plug. With time, the gas pressure increased to the critical point: the plug gave way in yesterday’s explosions. READ MORE

In a stunning move Sunday evening, conservative and tea-party icon Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama endorsed Donald Trump. This represents the most significant GOP endorsement yet for the billionaire presidential hopeful. Speaking from the stage in a packed football stadium at a Huntsville, Alabama, rally, Sessions’ endorsement is a significant blow against Trump’s most serious opponents, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. “We are in a movement that must not fade away,” Sessions said. “The bosses are you. The people in Washington are public servants and they serve you.”

Sessions promised a “Gang of Eight” type of immigration reform bill would not will be passed in a Donald Trump presidency. “There is an opportunity this year, Tuesday, and we have the opportunity, we have an opportunity Tuesday. It may be the last opportunity we have for the people’s voice to be heard. You have asked for 30 years, and politicians have promised for 30 years to fix illegal immigration,” Sessions said. READ MORE

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed his support on the Knesset’s first designated LGBT Rights Day on Tuesday. Netanyahu rarely appears in the legislature on Tuesdays, a day on which it usually does not hold important votes, but he arrived specially to participate in LGBT Rights Day, during which discussions of the topic were held in the plenum and committees.

The prime minister briefly addressed the plenum: “I know that there were important and lengthy discussions today, and I came here in the middle of my schedule, which was no less busy, to say one sentence to the members of the LGBT community: ‘Every man was created in the image of God.’ That is the idea brought by our nation to mankind thousands of years ago, and it is the principle that must guide our national lives today.” READ MORE

Our Time is Short

What is The Gospel?

God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.

The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.

Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.

God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.

But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.

And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.

This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.

God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.

God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.

There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the gospel to you when they tell you, ‘you can have a purpose to your life’, or that ‘you can have meaning to your life’, or that ‘you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.’ All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the gospel.

The gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness–or lack of it –or the righteousness of another. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith–and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him–and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.

The Gospel In A Nutshell

Now, with regard to this rule of faith—that we may from this point acknowledge what it is which we defend—it is, you must know, that which prescribes the belief that there is one only God, and that He is none other than the Creator of the world, who produced all things out of nothing through His own Word, first of all sent forth; that this Word is called His Son, and, under the name of God, was seen “in diverse manners” by the patriarchs, heard at all times in the prophets, at last brought down by the Spirit and Power of the Father into the Virgin Mary, was made flesh in her womb, and, being born of her, went forth as Jesus Christ; thenceforth He preached the new law and the new promise of the kingdom of heaven, worked miracles; having been crucified, He rose again the third day; (then) having ascended into the heavens, He sat at the right hand of the Father; sent instead of Himself the Power of the Holy Ghost to lead such as believe; will come with glory to take the saints to the enjoyment of everlasting life and of the heavenly promises, and to condemn the wicked to everlasting fire, after the resurrection of both these classes shall have happened, together with the restoration of their flesh. This rule, as it will be proved, was taught by Christ, and raises amongst ourselves no other questions than those which heresies introduce, and which make men heretics.

If you picked up a hitchhiker (not that I recommend doing that) and he saw a Bible on your car seat and said, “I’ve heard about this thing called the Gospel – can you explain it to me before you drop me off in one minute up the street?” What would you say?

Can you explain the gospel in 30 seconds? In one minute? In five minutes?

Here’s one way I have found helpful. The five main components of the gospel can be remembered on 5 fingers of one hand. Here they are:

Obviously each point can be elaborated on depending on how much time you have. Here’s the short version:

1) Jesus’ birth – Jesus, God himself, the creator of the universe, the Messiah, became a human being – took on flesh, and was born of a virgin.

2) Jesus’ life – Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to his Father. Though he was tempted in every way as we are, he never once sinned.

3) Jesus’ death – on the cross, Jesus himself took all our sins and paid for them. God the father counted all our sins to Jesus as if he himself had personally committed them. Then Jesus bore God’s wrath towards sin – the punishment we deserved – as a substitute for us.

4) Jesus’ resurrection – within 3 days, Jesus rose physically from the dead, proving that his sacrifice for sins have been accepted by God, since the punishment for sin was death. Jesus was seen by numerous people after he rose including 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15).

5) Jesus’ ascension – Jesus ascended physically into heaven where he reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. And someday he will return to the earth.

That’s the gospel, the good news, and if we believe in Jesus Christ and this good news and call upon him he will save us from our sins and give us eternal life.

That’s a simple way to remember the gospel – five fingers. Even a child can do it. So ask God to give you opportunities to share his good news today.

Ready to start your new life with God?

Who do you think that I am?

With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.

Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.

Resource Links

CanIKnowGod.com is a website inspired by LifesGreatestQuestion.com, with new content, images, audio and video that will help you understand more about who God is and how to know Him. The site is mobile responsive and has an infinite scroll which makes for a very user-friendly experience. After you indicate a decision on CanIKnowGod.com, you are directed to a page that details what it means to have a new and transformed life through Jesus Christ. There’s even a Facebook page for daily updates, encouragement and scripture sharing.

Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!

30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.

New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.

Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.

“A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a council without it…” – Martin Luther

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

— Augustine

This blog is an aggregator of news and information that we believe will provide articles that will keep people informed about current trends, current events, discussions and movements taking place within our church and culture.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,material here is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes.

A headline link on this blog post doesn’t necessarily mean that there is agreement or approval with all the views and opinions expressed within the headline linked article. Caution is also warranted with regards to the advertisements and links that are embedded within the headline linked article.

Like this:

My lovely wife and I were sitting in a parenting class at church, when the chairman of the elder board came and asked for us. Actually he asked for “the parents of Calvin Dodson.” Slightly embarrassed, thinking out little one must have thrown a fit, or done something else to show we really needed the parenting class, we got up and went with him.

As we left the room and headed down the stairs, he let us know that our 8-month-old son had experienced a seizure and that the nursery staff had called 911. Stunned, we came in his nursery room to find our son—our youngest at the time—being tended to by a nurse. He had blue lips and barely moved. It was terrifying.

That scene began what has turned into a nearly three-year trial that’s included many trips to Children’s Hospital LA, two of our sons experiencing multiple seizures, sleepless nights, many tears, and the dreaded news that their condition could end their life before adulthood.

It’s been a terrible trial, and it’s been an incredible blessing.

That may seem impossible to say, and three years ago, I might not have believed it myself. But the truth is that this trial—the most suffering we’ve ever faced—has been an immeasurable blessing. It has been such a blessing because of the amazing church we attend, a church with leaders who prepare their people to suffer.

Friend, if you’re a Bible-study leader, Sunday school teacher, and especially if you’re a pastor, I beg you: prepare your people for suffering!

Suffering is a present reality.

Just turn on the news, and it’s obvious that today’s culture is a living testimony to the truths of Romans 1. As society continues to rebel against God, reject his teaching, and increase in unrighteousness, suffering is the inevitable result. We live in a fallen world filled with disease, political strife, wars, racial tension—evil! As those who shepherd God’s flock, we must prepare them to live in such a world. We must prepare them for suffering.

Christians should expect suffering.

Not only should we prepare our people for the suffering that results from living in a fallen world; we must also prepare them for the unique suffering that is guaranteed for those who follow Christ. Suffering is part of the Christian life. Scripture speaks repeatedly of the suffering Christians are bound to face (Romans 8; 2 Corinthians 1; Philippians 1:29, 3:8-10; Colossians 1:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; James 1). Nearly the entire books of 2 Timothy and 1 Peter are devoted to helping Christians deal with suffering. Christ warned the church of Smyrna that they would face great suffering (Revelation 2:9–11). Scripture makes it abundantly clear; Christians will suffer. If we are to teach the whole counsel of God, we must teach our people about suffering.

Suffering produces sanctification.

Scripture not only promises that Christians will suffer; it also tells us that suffering is not without cause. In fact, we are to rejoice in our trials knowing that they are one of the tools God uses to make us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4). What an incredible encouragement that is! We must not help our people avoid suffering or be chiefly concerned with helping them escape trials as soon as possible. We must encourage them to learn from their trials, to rejoice in the sanctifying work God is doing through their suffering.

Suffering increases fellowship.

One of the oft-overlooked benefits of the church as the body of Christ paradigm is found in 1 Corinthians 12:26:

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it…

It’s difficult to overstate the impact suffering can have on the depth of fellowship within the body of Christ. Suffering provides the church a unique opportunity to grow in compassion, understanding, and love for one another. Trials provide a chance for the church to truly, practically bear one another’s burdens, and to model the love of Christ for the world.

Suffering produces hope.

One of the greatest gifts of suffering is the contrast it provides with the glory that is to come. Paul celebrates this truth beautifully in Romans 8:18:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Friend, that is far more than a religious platitude. That is glorious truth! The great hope for Christians—suffering any type of trial—is the unfathomable glory that awaits. Our suffering ought to point us to that. Our trials ought to increase our anticipation, increase our longing for future glory.

There is coming a day, when the curse that weighs heavy on this world will be lifted, when the redeemed of the nations will worship together free from persecution, when there will be no more conflict, political strife, or war. There’s a glorious day yet future when no one is scraping pennies just to get by, no wife loses her husband to cancer, no more little boys with seizures. The trials of this day point us forward with ever-growing expectation of that glorious day.

* * * *

Eric is a graduate of The Master’s Seminary, and shepherds a Bible study through the Cornerstone Fellowship Group at Grace Community Church. He works as a Broadcast Copywriter at Grace To You. He and his wife, Tara, have three sons.

Like this:

You have a particular way of communicating, but do you know what it is and how it compares to the styles of others? Learning to identify the different communication styles and recognizing which one you use most often in your interactions with others is essential if you want to develop effective communication skills. Below is an overview of the four basic types of communication styles. Which are you?

Passive Communication

Passive communicators have developed a pattern of avoiding expressing their opinions or feelings, protecting their rights, and identifying and meeting their needs. As a result, passive individuals do not respond overtly to hurtful or anger-inducing situations. Instead, they allow grievances and annoyances to mount, usually unaware of the buildup. But once they have reached their high tolerance threshold for unacceptable behavior, they are prone to explosive outbursts, which are usually out of proportion to the triggering incident. After the outburst…

Like this:

Writing for Grace to You, Cameron Buettel examines a “new generation of pastors who can be in two places at one time [by] using technology—high-def videos, and even holograms—to beam their Sunday morning sermons to remote ‘satellite’ churches that belong to their congregation.” We are in the age of the multi-site “church.” Buettel gives Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church as a prime example of this sort of shepherding. And then there’s megachurch pastor Andy Stanley who thinks pastors should be more like CEOs. (Source)

The Absence of Shepherds

Imagine you’re trying out a new church this coming weekend. You find your seat just as the pastor opens with a word of prayer. After some worship songs, he returns to greet the new visitors, make some announcements, and pray over the offering.

After another song or two, you expect to see him step onto the stage to deliver his sermon, but he’s nowhere to be found. Instead, the lights dim and you’re transported via video to another church with another congregation, watching someone else preach the sermon. You won’t see the “pastor”—whose Sunday role seems to be little more than master of ceremonies—until he greets you at the door on your way out.

Such is life in a satellite church. And while the look and feel of the service can vary greatly, the end result is still the same—countless believers every Sunday sit under the teaching of pastors piped in and projected from a stage somewhere else.

John Blake, a CNN reporter, wanted to experience this phenomenon for himself, so he visited a satellite church in Texas, virtually pastored by Ed Young Jr.

Young is part of a new generation of pastors who can be in two places at one time. They are using technology—high-def videos, and even holograms—to beam their Sunday morning sermons to remote “satellite” churches that belong to their congregation.

Young, whose congregation has about 20,000 members spread across five churches, said his image is so lifelike that some visitors forget he’s not there.

Through the advent of multi-site churches, holographic pastors are conducting virtual relationships with vast congregations. And that has led to a marked redefinition of what a pastor is—what he does and where he leads. One pastor I know has re-branded himself as a “visionary architect.” That may sound laughably grandiose, but it does capture the essence of what pastoring means within the context of a multi-site megachurch.

Elevation Church in North Carolina is a prime example. It’s a huge modern church with an ever-expanding number of satellite campuses. Its pastor, Steven Furtick, sees his congregation not as a flock for him to care for, but rather as an army to support and defend his vision. In fact, that’s the foundational purpose of Elevation Church: “Elevation is built on the vision God gave Pastor Steven. We will aggressively defend our unity and that vision.” [3]https://vimeo.com/34476218

That represents a deviation from how God’s Word describes the role of a pastor. Scripture paints vivid pictures of a pastor caring for a local gathering of God’s people in the same way that a shepherd cares for his sheep (Acts 20:28-31; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 5:2). It was modelled by Jesus (John 10:1–16), and He passed on the responsibility to His disciples (John 21:15–17).

But the intervening two thousand years of history and advancement have given some modern pastors the idea that it’s time to abandon the bucolic models of the New Testament, and find new patterns to define, inform, and animate the role of the pastor in today’s church.

Andy Stanley, who pastors the largest multi-site church in America, argues that shepherding is an irrelevant concept in modern society. During an interview with Christianity Today, he was asked, “Should we stop referring to pastors as ‘shepherds’?” Here’s how he responded:

Absolutely. That word needs to go away. Jesus talked about shepherds because there was one over there in a pasture he could point to. But to bring in that imagery today and say, “Pastor, you’re the shepherd of the flock,” no. I’ve never seen a flock. I’ve never spent five minutes with a shepherd. It was culturally relevant in the time of Jesus, but it’s not culturally relevant any more. [4]http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2007/may-online-only/cln70528.html

Stanley, along with many other megachurch pastors, prefers to take his cues from the business world:

One of the criticisms I get is “Your church is so corporate.” I read blogs all the time. Bloggers complain, “The pastor’s like a CEO.” And I say, “OK, you’re right. Now, why is that a bad model?” A principle is a principle, and God created all the principles.

And what does he see as the key principle behind the CEO model of church government?

“Follow me.” Follow we never works. Ever. It’s “follow me.” God gives a man or a woman the gift of leadership. And any organization that has a point leader with accountability and freedom to use their gift will do well. . . .

The church wasn’t an organization in the first century. They weren’t writing checks or buying property. The church has matured and developed over the years. But for some reason the last thing to change is the structure of leadership. . . .

If Jesus were here today, would he talk about shepherds? No. He would point to something that we all know, and we’d say, “Oh yeah, I know what that is.” Jesus told Peter, the fisherman, to “feed my sheep,” but he didn’t say to the rest of them, “Go ye therefore into all the world and be shepherds and feed my sheep.” By the time of the Book of Acts, the shepherd model is gone.

Not all multi-site megachurch pastors would speak so frankly about the demise of shepherding or the church’s need to pattern itself after the corporate world. But Andy Stanley verbalizes what so many of them really think. And such deviation from the pastoral blueprint of church history warrants biblical scrutiny rather than blithe acceptance.

To that end, in the days ahead we will carefully examine what the Bible teaches about the pastor’s duties. Does Scripture provide a place for church leaders perched atop a corporate pyramid? Do shepherds belong in the fossil record? Do we really need new metaphors for church leadership in each successive historical era? Is the inspired Word of God out of date and filled with disposable metaphors? Do we need to find a way to breathe new life into this ancient text and make it more relevant and relatable to the modern church?

In short, the answer to all of those questions is a resounding “no.” But I believe you’ll find the long answer to be far more compelling, convicting, and instructive regarding the kind of pastoral oversight you should—and shouldn’t–place yourself under. Be sure to stay with us as we explore the pastor’s job description.

Top News – 2/28/2016

EU’s Tower of Babel may fall while leaders distracted
It’s little wonder the European Union can’t find common solutions to Europe’s urgent problems when its main members are having such different national conversations. Like the biblical Tower of Babel, Europe’s ambitious construction is in danger of toppling because its peoples are not speaking the same political language.

Pentagon Research Could Make ‘Brain Modem’ a Reality
The Pentagon is attempting…[to] developing a high-bandwidth neural interface that would allow people to beam data from their minds to external devices and back…a brain modem. One that could allow a soldier to…control a drone with his mind. …Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)…announced the first successful tests…of a tiny sensor that travels through blood vessels, lodges in the brain and records neural activity.

The Russia-Armenia alliance is threatening Turkey, a critical U.S. ally
The growing military alliance between Russia and Armenia is threatening Turkey, an indispensable U.S. ally and partner in the fight against the Islamic State. The announcement that Russia is sending a new set of fighter jets and combat helicopters to an air base only 25 miles from the Turkish border is just the latest example of this alliance.

Iran election: Reformists win all 30 Tehran seats
Allies of Iran’s reformist president, Hassan Rouhani, have won a landslide victory in Tehran, in the first parliamentary vote since Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers. With 90% of the votes counted, the pro-Rouhani List of Hope is set to take all 30 parliamentary seats in the capital. The leading conservative candidate Gholamali Haddad-Adel is in 31st place.

Saudi TV’s mockery of Nasrallah angers Hezbollah supporters
Dozens of young Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of the predominantly Shi’ite quarter of southern Beirut late Saturday to protest a satirical sendup of their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, which aired on a Saudi-owned satellite television station. …Saudi Arabia, the Sunni monarchy, considers Iran-backed Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Egyptian MP: Netanyahu mediated between Obama and Sisi following the 2013 military coup
Egyptian Member of Parliament, Tawfik Okasha, has revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mediated between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and US President Barack Obama following the military coup that took place in Egypt in July 2013. …Okasha called for normalization with Israel, claiming that “Egypt is a very beautiful bride for Israel, and if Israel does not marry Egypt, it will destroy it.”

Drought in South Africa creates maize shortage
South Africa’s economy is in serious trouble. First there was the contraction of the mining industry, followed by the retrenchment in manufacturing and now the farmers are facing a crisis.

Dozens killed, wounded in Afghanistan suicide attacks
A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up near the Afghan defense ministry in Kabul on Saturday, causing heavy casualties just hours after an attack in the eastern province of Kunar killed 13 people and put prospects for new peace talks in doubt.

Mass Shooting In Washington State Ends With Five Dead
Within hours of the Kansas shooting that ended with four people dead and 14 wounded, a man in Washington State gunned down four people in his home. The local sheriff’s office is calling the mass shooting a “family-domestic situation.”

Top News – 2/27/2016

The Tunnels of Gaza’s Next War
By all accounts, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, is on a tunnel-building streak. Hamas has boasted of building fifty tunnels since the Israel–Gaza conflict of July, 2014, though Israel insists those numbers are exaggerated. But residents of kibbutzim that border Gaza are increasingly warning of clattering and drilling noises under their homes.

Hamas hopes to gain seaport from Israel-Turkey reconciliation
Hamas says it is hopeful an emerging deal to restore ties between Israel and Turkey will result in the construction of a port on the coast of the impoverished Gaza Strip. Turkey has stipulated that it will not normalize ties with Israel, ruptured in 2010, unless Israel lifts its naval blockade on Gaza. Hamas, the rulers of the Gaza Strip, hope a seaport might be built if Israel does lift its restrictions.

Joint Israel-US air defense drill to begin missile training
Juniper Cobra 16, a massive, joint Israeli-American air defense exercise is scheduled to culminate next week with a simulation of a wide-scale missile strike on Israel. Israeli Air Force officials declined to elaborate on the exact nature of the scenarios included in the drill, saying only that “all relevant scenarios” were being considered.

Germany says uncertain where 130,000 registered migrants are
German authorities do not know the whereabouts of 130,000 asylum seekers, the government said in a parliamentary document seen by AFP on Friday. Out of some 1.1 million asylum seekers registered in 2015, “about 13 percent did not turn up at the reception centres to which they had been directed,” the government said in a written reply to a question from a lawmaker of the Left Party.

Drought in South Africa creates maize shortage
South Africa’s economy is in serious trouble. First there was the contraction of the mining industry, followed by the retrenchment in manufacturing and now the farmers are facing a crisis. The major cause of the country’s agricultural problems is the long-standing drought, which has reached its driest and hottest levels in over a century.

Somalia al-Shabab: Deadly attack on SYL hotel in Mogadishu
Militants have stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, leaving at least nine people dead, in an attack claimed by al-Shabab. The attackers set off a car bomb outside the heavily fortified Somali Youth League hotel before moving in. An explosion also targeted a popular park known as the Peace Garden. Police say the attack is now over after they shot and killed four attackers.

Syria ceasefire begins under US-Russia deal
Guns fell silent across Syria on Saturday after a landmark UN-backed ceasefire came into effect, the first major truce in five years of civil war that have claimed more than 270,000 lives.

China is finally facing reality
Zhou Xiaochuan, the head of China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, rarely makes public statements. But with the country’s economy slowing down and driving significant volatility in global markets, and with G-20 world leaders meeting in Shanghai, he made a speech.

Barack Obama recently stated that anyone that is claiming that America’s economy is in decline is “peddling fiction“. Well, if the economy is in such great shape, why are major retailers shutting down hundreds of stores all over the country? Last month, I wrote about the “retail apocalypse” that is sweeping the nation, but since then it has gotten even worse. Closing stores has become the “hot new trend” in the retail world, and “space available” signs are going up in mall windows all over the United States. Barack Obama can continue huffing and puffing about how well the middle class is doing all he wants, but the truth is that the cold, hard numbers that retailers are reporting tell an entirely different story. (Read More….)

Uh oh – here we go again. Do you remember the subprime mortgage meltdown during the last financial crisis? Well, now a similar thing is happening with auto loans. The auto industry has been doing better than many other areas of the economy in recent years, but this “mini-boom” was fueled in large part by customers with subprime credit. According to Equifax, an astounding 23.5 percent of all new auto loans were made to subprime borrowers in 2015. At this point, there is a total of somewhere around $200 billion in subprime auto loans floating around out there, and many of these loans have been “repackaged” and sold to investors. I know – all of this sounds a little too close for comfort to what happened with subprime mortgages the last time around. We never seem to learn from our mistakes, and a lot of investors are going to end up paying the price. (Read More….)

CLIFF KINCAID — On Saturday night, a lunatic by the name of Jason Brian Dalton went on a weekend killing spree in Michigan. The next day, contradicting the official Catholic Catechism, Pope Francis called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty…. (more)

BREITBART — Before a packed crowd of more than 7,000 evangelical Christians, Senator Sen. Ted Cruz asked his fellow Republican candidates where they were when it came to defunding Planned Parenthood and fighting against the Washington, D.C. cartel. Cruz was responding to a question about this election being about outsiders and fighting Washington…. (more)

POLITICO — Ted Cruz has a double-digit lead over Donald Trump in Texas, according to the results of a new poll of likely Republican primary voters released Wednesday by Houston Public Media and the University of Houston Hobby Center for Public Policy…. (more)

WESTERN JOURNALISM — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz received some very welcome news Tuesday at a time when analysts have started looking askance at the Texas senator’s presidential campaign. With the Texas primary one week away, Gov. Greg Abbott has endorsed Cruz. “It is our duty as Texas conservatives to support a leader that we can trust to restore our values,” Abbott said in a video message…. (more)

PHILIP KLEIN — Though there’s still time to stop him, it’s now looking increasingly likely that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. Some conservatives, such as Erick Erickson and my colleague Tim Carney have outlined reasons why they could never vote for him, so I thought it would be worth spelling out why I couldn’t – – even in a general election against Hillary Clinton…. (more)

BLOOMBERG — Abortion access in the U.S. has been vanishing at the fastest annual pace on record, propelled by Republican state lawmakers’ push to legislate the industry out of existence. Since 2011, at least 162 abortion providers have shut or stopped offering the procedure, while just 21 opened…. (more)

NEWSMAX — A sheriff’s report offers a detailed account of the hours after Antonin Scalia’s body was found in Texas, describing how the owner of the luxury resort where the Supreme Court justice died told the sheriff he had no authority in the matter. The report also includes a reference to a pillow that spawned conspiracy theories…. (more)

ASSOCIATED PRESS — With a big win in Nevada, Donald Trump claimed a third straight commanding victory in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. A tight race for second between Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz offered little evidence that Republicans were ready to coalesce around one strong alternative to the businessman billionaire…. (more)

THE RIGHT SCOOP — Ted Cruz hit back today at Donald Trump, pointing out that he’s not willing to gamble his daughter’s future with Donald Trump and saying “the truth is, if Donald became president, nobody knows what the heck he would do. He doesn’t know what the heck he would do.”… (more)

RED STATE — When the smoke all clears, we will be reviewing the vote counts from the Nevada Caucus as if it was a legitimate election. But the buzz on Twitter from people on the ground suggests that it is anything but…. (more)

BREITBART — Sen. Marco Rubio who finished third, fifth, and second in the first three primary states, has seen a flood of endorsements since the media has crowned him the official choice of Party insiders and donors seeking a restoration of Bush Republicanism in 2016…. (more)

THE RIGHT SCOOP — For all of Trump’s outrage over Cruz committing “dirty tricks,” he’s now committing dirty tricks of his own, telling voters in Nevada that all the other Republicans, including Cruz, had left the state, abandoned the state even, and that Nevadans shouldn’t vote for any of them because of this. But Cruz hadn’t left the state and was actually speaking at caucuses… (more)

JD RUCKER — They almost had me. As a conservative, I do whatever I can to keep away from the hooks of the Republican Establishment and their incessant drumbeat of rhetoric (often heard on Fox News or seen on the Wall Street Journal) that claims Marco Rubio is the best alternative to Donald Trump…. (more)

NEWSMAX — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump is scheduled to be on the witness stand in a civil suit alleging fraud by his now-shuttered Trump University just as the primary season comes to an end, reports Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff…. (more)

BOB UNRUH — California State University at Los Angeles officials have abruptly canceled an event featuring conservative speaker Ben Shapiro after initially attempting to charge a sponsoring student group more than $600 due to “controversial” content in a speech titled, “When Diversity Becomes a Problem.”… (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — A federal judge questioned the Obama administration’s “good faith” in helping keep former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails secret for six years and said he may end up issuing a subpoena to force her to turn over her entire account to the government…. (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — The White House accused congressional Republicans on Tuesday of refusing to “engage” with President Obama after lawmakers blasted the president’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention center, the latest in a string of rejections for the lame-duck president…. (more)

PAUL BREMMER — Talk-radio host Glenn Beck attracted scorn and ridicule over the weekend when he urged his Facebook followers to join him in a fast “for Ted Cruz, our country and the Nevada caucus.”… (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas noticeably toughened his stance on immigration Monday night, saying in an interview that the U.S. should deport all 12 million illegal immigrants now here…. (more)

NEWSMAX — CSPAN has uncovered video of then-Sen. Joe Biden in 1992 urging the Senate not to hold confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court in the final year of President George H.W. Bush’s term because it could cause “deep trouble” for the institution…. (more)

MARK LEVIN — A little while back, I argued that Marco Rubio’s tactics in attacking Ted Cruz’s Senate record on immigration and national defense, among other things, were Alinskyite. They were and still are simply and demonstrably dishonest. Yet he persists, knowing full well that by the time the truth catches up with him, if ever, the damage will have been done…. (more)

MICHAEL HARRINGTON — I am Michael Harrington and I do numbers. I really love numbers. Therefore I always know a bit behind the scenes more than most. Oh and did I say I love politics? This breakdown shows how it is likely if there was no Democrats voting in S. Carolina that Ted Cruz would have won the Primary…. (more)

“My question to the angry Republican voters who support Trump is this — How are you going to feel when The Donald is not able to follow through on his promises? It’s inevitable, even if he beats Hillary. … Do you know in your heart that the nominee you’ve picked — even if he wins — has a chance of changing anything in D.C.? Or are you just hoping? Hoping for change isn’t going to work. Ask Obama. If you really want to start getting things done in Washington, you can’t just be angry, you need to be realistic.” —Michael Reagan

How can we believe in a God who allows evil and suffering?

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Christian Today

The problem of evil, or in its more refined form, the problem of suffering, is probably the number one defeater belief.

How Victims of Sexual Abuse Can Get the Better of Satan

Billy Graham: Tips to Keep Your Focus During Prayer

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Christian Post

Christians must remember the importance of prayer to keep their minds from wandering or becoming bored, evangelical leader Billy Graham advises in a post on the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s website.

Faith has become a focal point of the 2016 presidential election, but how are people from different faith groups in the US responding to the race? According to Barna’s data, each group holds substantially different attitudes and candidate preferences.

WorldviewRadio: Why the South Carolina primary reveals what Brannon has said for a few years. The New Religious Right has little if any influence today.Brannon has also said and written that if you want to know which Presidential candidate will lose then look who the New Religious Right get behind. Brannon even wrote this in his book he completed in the fall of 2015, The Coming Religious Reich. South Caroline proves this point. James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and many other religious right leaders backed Ted Cruz in a state in which polls show that up to 73% of voters identity as evangelical. If there were ever a state in which the religious right leaders should be able to mobilize evangelicals it is South Carolina and yet the majority of evangelicals rejected the advice of the religious right but why? Brannon explains why he believes the religious right have all but lost any influence they once had outside of their own bubble. Topic: Mike Gendron was a Catholic for 37 years and he joins us as we play six audio clips from the Catholic funeral mass of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Hear the sermon by the son of Scalia who is a Catholic Priest. The audio clips will reveal the tragic theology of the Church of Rome. Topic: We take your calls.http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/brannon-howse-february-22-2016

Worldview Radio: Topic: David Barton & Glenn Beck were declaring a great spiritual awakening just this summer and now apparently this week based on the South Carolina primaries they are now discussing a revolution that Beck described as a possible violent revolution. You have to hear these audio clips. Can these two simpletons make up their mind? Topic: No Biblical revival has ever come through politics or politicians. Topic: So when Beck and Barton thought their candidate was going to win they saw revival and a spiritual awakening in the making but now that their candidate is dropping in the polls it appears revival is going to be replaced by a revolution? Topic: A former Word of Faith follower explains why she has rejected their theology. Topic: Brannon shares about an encounter he had with an unbeliever while eating out at a restaurant. This testimony will encourage you in how to effectively defend Biblical Christianity from the false Christianity that is such a turn off to unbelievers. Topic: We take your calls.http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/brannon-howse-february-23-2016

Worldview Radio: Topic: Lent is not in the Bible so where did it come from? Topic: Jeb Bush is out of the presidential race. Jeb was the first governor in the nation to require students to pick a career major in ninth grade as Brannon reported in 2007. Daddy Bush started this massive federal and United Nations take over of education with America 2000 and Clinton, George W. and Obama kept it going under different names. Big business working with their political puppets have worked for years to merge education with industrial production to form a corporate fascist education system that seeks to have a planned economy that includes projecting the work force demands region by region. Topic: We take your calls.http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/brannon-howse-february-24-2016

295 Million Year Old Silk? Recent Discovery Could Be Problematic for Evolutionists Feb 22, 2016 08:29 am

Photo Credit: Nature.com Christian scientists who believe in a young earth are citing the recent discovery of fossilized silk cocoons as evidence that many fossilized materials are much younger than evolutionists allege. As previously reported, scientists have repeatedly been surprised by the discoveries of various delicate biomaterials that have supposedly…

A Romanian attorney in the United States who has access to court documents surrounding five Norwegian children who were seized by the country’s child welfare services last November says that records clearly show the children were taken from their parents because of the family’s Christian faith. As previously reported, in November, the Barnevernet seized Marius…

Justice Scalia Spent His Last Hours With Members of Secretive Society of Elite Hunters Feb 25, 2016 07:01 pm

(Washington Post) — When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died 12 days ago at a West Texas ranch, he was among high-ranking members of an exclusive fraternity for hunters called the International Order of St. Hubertus, an Austrian society that dates back to the 1600s. After Scalia’s death Feb. 13, the names of the 35 other guests at the remote…

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, a vocal supporter of abortion and same-sex “marriage, was cheered enthusiastically during Sunday’s Stellar Awards in Las Vegas, which heralds itself as “the premier gospel event that recognizes and honors African American artists.” While the event will not be televised until March 5, the show’s…

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — During an appearance on Monday at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich suggested that religious businesses shouldn’t be able to decline to service same-sex celebrations. Kasich, who identifies as an Anglican, and…

Norwegian Children Seized by Welfare Services See Parents for First Time in Three Months Feb 20, 2016 02:32 pm

Five Norwegian children who were seized by the country’s child welfare services department were allowed to see their parents this week—for the first time in three months. As previously reported, in November, the Barnevernet seized Marius and Ruth Bodnariu’s two daughters, two sons and their baby, Ezekiel. The two eldest children were reportedly removed from…

BOULDER, Co. — A Colorado woman who is currently on trial for assaulting a pregnant woman and cutting the baby out of her womb will not be held responsible for the death of the child, nor will the judge who is overseeing the case allow testimony about the infant’s manner of death. “She is not a victim in this case,” argued defense attorney Jennifer Beck about the…

Pennsylvania in ‘Mess’ After Exposure of Rampant Exchange of Porn Emails Among State Officials Feb 21, 2016 01:52 pm

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania government remains in a state of disarray after the state attorney general, who is facing separate criminal charges herself, recently exposed the rampant exchange of pornographic and vulgar emails by government officials. Attorney General Katherine Kane announced on Tuesday that she will not seek a second term and will focus more on…

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Witnesses were left amazed after a Tennessee man who was rescued by good Samaritans on Sunday just before his vehicle exploded also discovered that his Bible remained unharmed although his SUV was completely destroyed. According to reports, the man’s Jeep Laredo was sideswiped by another car on Route 385 near Memphis, which caused him to veer…

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Despite hours of impassioned opposition in community testimony, city council members in Charlotte, North Carolina voted Monday night to approve a move that would permit men who identify as women and vice versa to use the restroom that correlates with their “gender identity.” Over 21,000 area residents had signed a petition in opposition of the…

Economic Recovery? 13 Of The Biggest Retailers In America Are Closing Down Stores

Barack Obama recently stated that anyone that is claiming that America’s economy is in decline is “peddling fiction“. Well, if the economy is in such great shape, why are major retailers shutting down hundreds of stores all over the country? Last month, I wrote about the “retail apocalypse” that is sweeping the nation, but since then it has gotten even worse. Closing stores has become the “hot new trend” in the retail world, and “space available” signs are going up in mall windows all over the United States. Barack Obama can continue huffing and puffing about how well the middle class is doing all he wants, but the truth is that the cold, hard numbers that retailers are reporting tell an entirely different story.

America’s Next President: We Get the Leaders We Deserve

Like no Democrat ever could, he has ruptured the Tea Party/Conservative/Libertarian/Independent alliance, throwing the Republican Party into chaos, providing the eventual Democrat nominee an easier path to the White House.

And so the conventional wisdom is we hire another snake oil salesman after suffering one for eight years, a thoroughly self-defeating enterprise?

Who Are the Masters of Deceit? – Jan Markell

By Jan Markell

There is an agenda going on. Since the beginning of time there has been a conflict between good and evil. But now the agenda is so precarious that a new film says America is at the most vulnerable time since the Revolutionary War. When there is vulnerability, people become afraid, and then they ask government to do more.

Fox News Host Sees Dire Future for Evangelicals

Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro said during a speech in Tennessee that Christians are in danger of losing their rights because the liberal mindset of modern times is all things anti-Christian are A-OK.

Speaking to a crowd at the NRB International Media Convention in Nashville, Pirro said, Western Journalism reported: Americans can’t rely on their First Amendment rights to protect them as the Founding Fathers intended any longer.

Unprecedented – Hal Lindsey

What is happening right now in the Middle East is unprecedented as far as I’m concerned. Of course, if you just get your news from the American mainstream media, you’ve no idea to what I’m referring.

If it’s not promoting the Palestinians or denigrating the Israelis, singing the praises of John Kerry or listing the transgressions of Benjamin Netanyahu, lamenting setbacks to the BDS movement (Boycott, Divest, Sanction Israel) or applauding Iran’s return to global acceptance, then it’s buried deep in the back pages, if it’s mentioned at all.

Justice Scalia Spent His Last Hours with Members of this Secretive Society of Elite Hunters

When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died 12 days ago at a West Texas ranch, he was among high-ranking members of an exclusive fraternity for hunters called the International Order of St. Hubertus, an Austrian society that dates back to the 1600s.

After Scalia’s death Feb. 13, the names of the 35 other guests at the remote resort, along with details about Scalia’s connection to the hunters, have remained largely unknown.

The Puzzle of Motivation, Daniel Pink. This TED talk looks at a common practice that we might all be doing wrong—motivating people. We’re all familiar with “if-then” rewards. If you hit this mark, then you’ll get a raise (or the opposite…gulp). And that might work for some tasks. But Pink points out that external motivators actually hurt us for most 21st-century jobs. So what does motivate? The magic trio of internal motivators: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Articles of the Week

At least You’re Married Or Single, Lore Ferguson. It’s a simple line that many of us give to each other, and it’s meant to be encouraging. But it often feels a little patronizing. Married people tell singles, “Well, at least you’re single,” because they recognize the freedom that singleness affords.And single people do the opposite: “Well, at least you’re married,” since marriage creates built-in community. Neither group is 100% wrong, but it’s often easier to see the blessings in someone else’s situation and not the challenges. Wise words here.

The Great eBook Battle of 2016, Trevin Wax. If you’re reading this, chances are good you don’t mind reading things online. But do you prefer reading on digital devices in general? Serious readers are starting to muster their forces, either for Team EBook or Team Print. Wax weighs in on the battle, offering his own winner in the fight (Team Print by a nose). You don’t have to agree with his conclusion, though, to benefit from this. Do your research. Boldly pick a side. And read.

Do I Have White Privilege? Yes. Now What? David Spickard. Many white people get uncomfortable with the phrase “white privilege,” because it can often be used as a war cry to prompt shame or a political talking point. But as Spickard points out, we don’t have to be defensive. Instead, we should be aware. More than that, Spickard points out three helpful steps for those of us in a majority culture.

Four Reasons Your Leadership Suffers When You Cheat Sleep, Michael Hyatt. One of the masochistic badges of honor in a performance-driven society like ours is to be so busy and working so hard that we don’t have time to sleep. But if you care about the people you’re leading, burning the midnight oil is the wrong way to show it. As he says, “If you’re cheating your sleep as a leader, your team pays the price.” So don’t be selfish: get more sleep. We’ll all thank you.

On The Lighter Side

Top 30 Christian Pick-Up Lines, Blimey Cow. Compare this with the “existential riddles” of a couple weeks ago, and you’re likely to find a significant drop in the level of maturity. Perhaps good for a slight chuckle or a shake of the head. (And, if you’re really at a dead end with the opposite sex, you could do worse…but not much worse.)

Wisdom For Your Weekend is presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from J.D. Greear. This is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”

I guess everyone is speculating about the reason for Trump’s popularity, even among Evangelicals. An article at the Federalist offers a compelling answer. “He is not one of them—they know that. But they believe he is for them at a time when their faith and beliefs have become politically incorrect.”

A county judge in Oregon may lose his job after refusing to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies. A state judicial fitness panel is recommending the removal of Marion County Circuit Court Judge Vance Day for refusing to perform such ceremonies because of his religious beliefs.

The panel has accused Day of discrimination based on sexual orientation and ethical violations. The decision is now in the hands of the Oregon Supreme Court. A spokeman for the judge, Patrick Korten, tells CBN News that ethics charges against Day are being trumped up merely because of his views on marriage. READ MORE

Forget schlepping to the post office or the DMV. If you have a smartphone, an envelope and a credit card, you can now renew your passport at home. Ten years after the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) required Americans traveling to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda to carry U.S. passports, the ItsEasy Passport Renewal & Photo app has arrived just in time for tens of millions of Americans whose passports will soon expire.

The app, a free download, was released this month for iPhones and will soon be available for Android phones. “Nearly 10 years after implementation of the WHTI and the associated surge of passport applications, the Bureau of Consular Affairs is preparing for an anticipated surge as those applicants renew their passports,” said William Cocks, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. “We expect increased passport applications to continue through 2018.” READ MORE

During a wildly animated GOP debate Thursday evening, GOP front-runner Donald Trump asserted that, as president, he cannot side with Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because doing so would “demean” Palestinians. Trump’s comments brought an onslaught of criticism from Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, both of whom vowed to stand by Israel. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer moderated the debate, and Telemundo’s Maria Celeste Arraras, Salem talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt and CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash asked questions of the candidates.
During the debate, Blitzer began a round of questions on foreign policy by addressing the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. He quoted Trump as having previously said, “Let me be sort of a neutral guy. I don’t want to say whose fault it is. I don’t think it helps.” Blitzer then asked Trump, “How do you remain neutral when the U.S. considers Israel to be America’s closest ally in the Middle East?” “Well, first of all I don’t think they do under President Obama, because I think he has treated Israel horribly,” began Trump. “Alright? I think he’s treated Israel horribly.” READ MORE

(Florence Taylor) The new study examined society’s current perceptions of faith and Christianity. Forty-five percent of atheists, agnostics, and religiously unaffiliated in America agree with the statement that “Christianity is extremist”. Only 14 per cent of this group strongly disagreed that Christianity is extremist, with 41 per cent only disagreeing ‘somewhat’.

The study acknowledges the current political climate as an influencing factor in an increased concern about religious extremism. Three quarters of all Americans – and nine out of 10 American adults with no faith affiliation – agree that “being religiously extreme is a threat to society”. The study also examined what people considered extremist, which ranged from religiously justified violence, to just reading the Bible. More than 40 per cent of those asked considered protesting government policies that conflict with religious views extreme and at least a fifth considered speaking in tongues an extremist activity. READ MORE

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a newly discovered comet may someday pose a threat to Earth. But we haven’t spotted the comet quite yet. Instead, astronomers at the SETI Institute saw its dust. On New Year’s Eve, cameras in New Zealand captured a meteor shower that had never been seen before. Coming from the direction of the southern sky Volans constellation, it was named the Volantids. But a shower coming from that direction seems to indicate a comet with a highly eccentric orbit, one of a class of so-called Jupiter-family comets. These comets are so named for the forces Jupiter exerts on them, confining them to the inner edge of the outer solar system.

One such comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9, crashed into Jupiter in 1995. The weird, elongated, eccentric orbits of these comets makes them harder to spot, though the chance observation of the new meteor shower could give a few clues. Now, scientists are on the hunt for a culprit. There’s a small chance it could’ve been an isolated cloud of dust, but the SETI Institute describes any cometary culprit as “potentially dangerous.” However, they caution that all scenarios in the near future don’t seem to call for any sort of collision. READ MORE

(David Robertson) It was embarrassing. The two humanists on the panel were having a collective nightmare. As we discoursed on the nature of evidence, creation and the Bible, they were struggling more and more to make a coherent case for their atheism. Until at last one cracked. Red faced and angry he just blurted out: “How can you believe in a God who allows suffering?” It wasn’t the subject of the evening, but this was his last desperate attempt to justify not believing in the God of the Bible. For some it is the first and greatest hurdle. The problem of evil, or in its more refined form, the problem of suffering, is probably the number one defeater belief.

The Problem defined

God is all-powerful so could destroy evil and prevent suffering

God is good so would want to destroy evil and suffering

Evil and suffering exist so the good and all-powerful God does not exist.

It is apparently such an overwhelming logical case that anyone who does not accept it is in denial, stupid or themselves evil. Any attempt to answer the problem is considered heartless as well as impossible – but here goes. READ MORE

Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro said during a speech in Tennessee that Christians are in danger of losing their rights because the liberal mindset of modern times is all things anti-Christian are A-OK. Speaking to a crowd at the NRB International Media Convention in Nashville, Pirro said, Western Journalism reported: Americans can’t rely on their First Amendment rights to protect them as the Founding Fathers intended any longer.

“Although it seems that the protections that we have in the Constitution are protections that no one can take away from us,” she said, “I want to tell you that they’re already being taken away.” Blame liberalism, she said. “The irony of today’s liberalism that is accepting of anything and everything is that it is sanctioning discrimination against Christians,” Pirro said. READ MORE

German authorities do not know the whereabouts of 130,000 migrants, the government confessed today. It means that more than one in ten unvetted new arrivals from the Middle East have disappeared, somewhere in Europe. Of the 1.1 million migrants who registered as asylum seekers in Germany in 2015, “about 13 per cent did not turn up at the reception centres to which they had been directed,” the government said in a written reply to a question from a lawmaker from the Left Party.

The official government admission follows a previous calculation suggesting that the number of missing migrants could be as high as 600,000. The Interior Ministry said that the migrants, who were initially invited into Europe by German Chancellor Merkel, may have travelled on to other countries or “slipped into illegality”. READ MORE

Opposition monitoring groups say warplanes have carried out air raids on two villages in northern Syria. Sunday’s air raids came on the second day of a cease-fire brokered by Russia and the U.S., the most ambitious effort yet to curb the violence of the country’s five-year civil war.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes hit the villages of Daret Azzeh and Qobtan al-Jabal. The group did not say whether the warplanes were Russian or Syrian. The Local Coordination Committees said the warplanes were Russian. READ MORE

Catcalling now is being studied at a university alongside physics, English, economics and philosophy. At St. Louis University, a Catholic institution no less. The report comes from The College Fix, which explained the new course will include current efforts to make catcalling a crime as well as “how public streets are shaped by white privilege, feminism, imperialism and intersectionality.”

As part of the unversity’s required volunteer program, the class spends eight weeks examining societal influences on public streets, four weeks on catcalling and four more weeks on urban policing and riots. The instructor, Candis Bond, told The College Fix that catcalling is “whistling or saying something unwanted” toward a woman in the street. READ MORE

Pope Francis’s secretary, 34-year-old Miriam Wuolou of Eritrea, was found dead earlier this week — and the Vatican is calling foul. Wuolou’s body was discovered in her Rome apartment by police after her brother raised concern that she wasn’t answering her phone. She was seven months pregnant and suffered from diabetes, which can prove dangerous — even fatal — during pregnancy.

The Vatican, however, has called for an investigation into the woman’s death. Police have interviewed her brother, her ex-husband and her most recent boyfriend, who is believed to be a policeman employed by the Vatican, the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reports. Investigators will also perform a DNA test on Wuolou’s fetus to determine the paternity of the unborn child. READ MORE

Mya Taylor made history at the 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday when she became the first transgender actress to ever win at the annual ceremony. The actress was nominated for best supporting female, beating out Cynthia Nixon (James White), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Anomalisa), Marin Ireland (Glass Chin) and Robin Bartlett (H.) to take home the trophy.

“First of all, no one tells you how nervous you’re gonna be when you’re up against other big actors for an award. There are so many things that go through your head, like ‘Am I gonna trip on this long-ass dress getting up here?’” she joked at the podium upon accepting her award. “I have had a long journey through my 2015 because I had come from almost nothing and then got this role and this movie, and my life just did a total 360.” READ MORE

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox on Friday kept up his withering criticism of Donald Trump, saying the GOP front-runner reminds him of Adolf Hitler. “Today, he’s going to take that nation (U.S.) back to the old days of conflict, war and everything. I mean, he reminds me of Hitler. That’s the way he started speaking,” Fox told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in a phone interview on “Anderson Cooper 360.”

“He has offended Mexico, Mexicans, (and) immigrants. He has offended the Pope. He has offended the Chinese. He’s offended everybody.” Fox’s comments come one day after he delivered a scathing response on Trump’s plan to make Mexico pay for a wall between the Mexico-U.S. border. “I’m not going to pay for that f***ing wall,” Fox said in an interview with Fusion’s Jorge Ramos. Fox told Cooper he won’t apologize for that remark. Fox isn’t the first to suggest Trump’s rhetoric is similar to that of the German dictator. READ MORE

We’re seeing some powerful images being shared on social media today following a deadly tornado in Virginia. The picture above was shared by local TV station WDBJ,

explaining that three wooden crosses made it through the devastating storm in Evergreen, in Appomattox County. Powerful storms struck up and down the East Coast on Wednesday, with at least four dead in Virginia and seven total. READ MORE

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he sees Israel as the victim in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and he would “100%” come to its defense if it was attacked in an interview broadcast on Monday’s “Hannity” on the Fox News Channel. Trump was asked about his comments that he would be “neutral” in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and whether he sees “that Israel is the victim in this?” Trump said that he does and that he’s “a great friend of Israel.”

He added that making a deal between Israel and Palestine would be “the ultimate deal” if it was possible, and “I have been told by people, very high level people, it’s impossible, because the hatred, especially on the one side, I won’t even say which side –” After host Sean Hannity cut in with, “On the Palestinian side.” Trump continued, “is so intense. It’s so incredible, and from the time they’re 2 years old they’re told to hate, to hate, to hate. It’s got to be taken away.” READ MORE

March 2016 turns out to be the month of great celestial events. Two comets – comet 252P/LINEAR 12 and Comet P/2016 BA14 (PANSTARRS) – will make record-breaking Earth flybys with the passage of PANSTARRS being the closest known comet flyby of the last 230 hundred years.

On March 21 2016, Comet 252P/LINEAR 12 will make its closest approach yet, passing just 3.1 million miles (5.3 million km) away from Earth. On March 22 2016, Comet P/2016 BA14 (PANSTARRS) is set to pass by Earth at a distance of 2.1 million miles (3.5 million km). This is a record-breaking approach to Earth for a comet as it will be the closest known comet flyby of the last 230 hundred years. READ MORE

Our Time is Short

What is The Gospel?

God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.

The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.

Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.

God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.

But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.

And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.

This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.

God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.

God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.

There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the gospel to you when they tell you, ‘you can have a purpose to your life’, or that ‘you can have meaning to your life’, or that ‘you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.’ All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the gospel.

The gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness–or lack of it –or the righteousness of another. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith–and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him–and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.

The Gospel In A Nutshell

Now, with regard to this rule of faith—that we may from this point acknowledge what it is which we defend—it is, you must know, that which prescribes the belief that there is one only God, and that He is none other than the Creator of the world, who produced all things out of nothing through His own Word, first of all sent forth; that this Word is called His Son, and, under the name of God, was seen “in diverse manners” by the patriarchs, heard at all times in the prophets, at last brought down by the Spirit and Power of the Father into the Virgin Mary, was made flesh in her womb, and, being born of her, went forth as Jesus Christ; thenceforth He preached the new law and the new promise of the kingdom of heaven, worked miracles; having been crucified, He rose again the third day; (then) having ascended into the heavens, He sat at the right hand of the Father; sent instead of Himself the Power of the Holy Ghost to lead such as believe; will come with glory to take the saints to the enjoyment of everlasting life and of the heavenly promises, and to condemn the wicked to everlasting fire, after the resurrection of both these classes shall have happened, together with the restoration of their flesh. This rule, as it will be proved, was taught by Christ, and raises amongst ourselves no other questions than those which heresies introduce, and which make men heretics.

If you picked up a hitchhiker (not that I recommend doing that) and he saw a Bible on your car seat and said, “I’ve heard about this thing called the Gospel – can you explain it to me before you drop me off in one minute up the street?” What would you say?

Can you explain the gospel in 30 seconds? In one minute? In five minutes?

Here’s one way I have found helpful. The five main components of the gospel can be remembered on 5 fingers of one hand. Here they are:

Obviously each point can be elaborated on depending on how much time you have. Here’s the short version:

1) Jesus’ birth – Jesus, God himself, the creator of the universe, the Messiah, became a human being – took on flesh, and was born of a virgin.

2) Jesus’ life – Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to his Father. Though he was tempted in every way as we are, he never once sinned.

3) Jesus’ death – on the cross, Jesus himself took all our sins and paid for them. God the father counted all our sins to Jesus as if he himself had personally committed them. Then Jesus bore God’s wrath towards sin – the punishment we deserved – as a substitute for us.

4) Jesus’ resurrection – within 3 days, Jesus rose physically from the dead, proving that his sacrifice for sins have been accepted by God, since the punishment for sin was death. Jesus was seen by numerous people after he rose including 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15).

5) Jesus’ ascension – Jesus ascended physically into heaven where he reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. And someday he will return to the earth.

That’s the gospel, the good news, and if we believe in Jesus Christ and this good news and call upon him he will save us from our sins and give us eternal life.

That’s a simple way to remember the gospel – five fingers. Even a child can do it. So ask God to give you opportunities to share his good news today.

Ready to start your new life with God?

Who do you think that I am?

With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.

Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.

Resource Links

CanIKnowGod.com is a website inspired by LifesGreatestQuestion.com, with new content, images, audio and video that will help you understand more about who God is and how to know Him. The site is mobile responsive and has an infinite scroll which makes for a very user-friendly experience. After you indicate a decision on CanIKnowGod.com, you are directed to a page that details what it means to have a new and transformed life through Jesus Christ. There’s even a Facebook page for daily updates, encouragement and scripture sharing.

Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!

30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.

New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.

Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.

“A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a council without it…” – Martin Luther

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

— Augustine

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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107,material here is distributed without profit for research and educational purposes.

A headline link on this blog post doesn’t necessarily mean that there is agreement or approval with all the views and opinions expressed within the headline linked article. Caution is also warranted with regards to the advertisements and links that are embedded within the headline linked article.

The Obama administration aims to send Congress its long-awaited plan for closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay by Tuesday, to meet a deadline imposed by lawmakers after months of delay.

The limited cease-fire due to start in Syria this week drew expressions of skepticism, predictions of intensified Islamist violence and hope that desperately needed humanitarian aid will make it to ravaged areas.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for talks this week as each country accuses the other of escalating military tensions in the western Pacific.

Prosecutors across the U.S. have asked Apple Inc. to unlock iPhones at least nine times since Oct. 8, as a battle pitting security versus civil liberties plays out in a California terrorism case.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly rose in January to the second-highest pace since early 2007, indicating the industry will keep prospering. Closings, which usually take place a month or two after a contract is signed, advanced 0.4 percent to a 5.47 million annual rate.

AP Top Stories

North Korea warned on Tuesday of harsh retaliation against South Korea and its ally the United States, which are preparing for annual joint military exercises next month amid heightened tensions following the North’s nuclear test and rocket launch.

China’s ambassador to South Korea warned Tuesday that the planned deployment of a US missile defense system in the country could damage Beijing-Seoul ties, possibly irreparably.

Sea levels on Earth are rising several times faster than they have in the past 2,800 years and are accelerating because of man-made global warming, according to new studies.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner said on Monday the state has the power to block any debt offerings by financially distressed school districts, including the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which has been dependent on borrowing to fund operations.

For years they were the highly-advanced aircraft without a mission, decried by critics as having been built from more than $80 billion in taxpayer dollars for an enemy that doesn’t exist. But now, more than a decade after the first jets went operational, the next-generation stealth F-22 Raptors are… still looking for that enemy, and settling for bombing militants in Syria and Iraq in the meantime.

Israeli soldiers have been ordered to take their guns with them when off duty to allow them to intervene in the event of Palestinian attack, the military said on Tuesday.

A suspected car thief has been pictured on CCTV ordering food at a McDonald’s drive-through. Essex Police have issued an image of a man ordering from a blue Audi A3 with cloned plates at a McDonald’s in Basildon. One pedestrian was almost run over by the vehicle. Two men got out of the car and ran off. “Officers did manage to get the car back.”

Cambodia health officials on Monday were screening hundreds of villagers for HIV after 14 locals tested positive for the virus, sparking fears of a fresh outbreak.

Tensions have increased significantly along the Demilitarized Zone since North Korea’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch, a North Korean military official told The Associated Press on Monday, adding that while he could not comment on operational details, “the reality is that it is touch and go.”

Lumber Liquidators’ stock plunged Monday as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says people exposed to certain types of the company’s laminate flooring were three times more likely to get cancer than the agency previously predicted.

Branches of at least three Russian banks have been attacked during a spate of weekend violence across Ukraine that coincided with the second anniversary of the ouster of Kiev’s Moscow-backed leadership.

At 106 years old, she’s seen more than a dozen presidents come and go, but Virginia McLaurin says she can finally die happy after meeting President Barack Obama.

BBC

The Syrian government and the main opposition umbrella group say they accept the terms of a deal to cease hostilities from Saturday.

Islamist militias in Libya have lost two major areas in the eastern city of Benghazi, military sources and residents have told the BBC.

WND

Khalil Abu-Rayyan is a 21-year-old Dearborn Heights, Michigan, man who gets excited by thoughts of beheading Americans, burning people alive and throwing homosexuals off of tall buildings. Beyond these fantasies, he’d actually made plans to shoot up a church full of Christians in Detroit, according to court records documenting his Internet conversations with an undercover FBI agent. He chose this church because it was large – up to 6,000 members – and he knew it would be an easy target. “A lot of people go there. Plus people are not allowed to carry guns in church.”

Fox to develop Muslim sitcom to fight Islamophobia.

A number of published reports on Monday extolled the claim by the Centers for Disease Control that there has been a huge drop in cases of human papillomavirus since a few years back when the government, and private for-profit companies that make the medicine, started aggressively pushing vaccinations for all young girls – and even boys.

A sequel to “Star Wars” may arrive sooner than anyone expects, as China funnels vast resources into an outer space program that may stoke new tensions with the United States. The country plans to launch more than 20 space missions in 2016, making the year ahead the busiest ever for the nation’s rapidly growing space program.

Top News – 2/23/2016

World Medical Association to revise ‘Hippocratic Oath”
The WMA says that the ethical obligations of doctors may need to be redrafted to reflect social changes. “In recent decades, respect for patient self-determination has been established as one of the most important principles of medical ethics,” says the WMA.

Obama plan to shut Guantanamo names no sites to replace Cuba-based prison – report
President Barack Obama is expected to submit a plan to Congress outlining steps to close Guantanamo Bay. His long-awaited blueprint reportedly does not name specific locations that could replace the US prison in Cuba, however. The administration is going to submit the Pentagon-drafted plan on Tuesday, meeting a congressionally-mandated February 23 deadline.

Slovenian army to help police control migrant inflow on border
The Slovenian army will be sent to guard the border with Croatia and help police control the flow of migrants into the country under legislation passed by parliament late on Monday. The act giving the army the power to control the migrant flow was passed by 69 votes to five, parliamentary speaker Milan Brglez said.

Attacks on Christians in U.S. double in 3 years
The new report, titled “Undeniable: The Survey of Hostility to Religion in America,” reveals a list that admittedly is not exhaustive but still totals 1,285 cases at the start of this year. “hostility to religion in America is rising like floodwaters.”

Light earthquake, 4.7 mag has occurred near Al Hoceima in Morocco
A light earthquake with magnitude 4.7 (ml/mb) was detected on Tuesday, 61 kilometers (38 miles) from Al Hoceima in Morocco. The 4.7-magnitude earthquake has occurred at 10:12:33 / 10:12 am (local time epicenter). The epicenter was at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).

Islamic State ‘releases Assyrian Christian hostages’
Islamic State (IS) militants have released the last of more than 200 Assyrian Christians they kidnapped in north-eastern Syria a year ago. Some 42 captives were freed on Monday morning, following mediation by the Assyrian Church, activists said. One Assyrian group said IS had demanded an $18m (£13m) ransom.

Syria conflict: Warring parties accept US-Russia truce plan
The Syrian government and the main opposition umbrella group say they accept the terms of a deal to cease hostilities from Saturday. The government said it would halt “combat operations” in line with the plan announced by the US and Russia. But the opposition said its acceptance depended on government forces ending sieges and air strikes of civilians.

Canadian Parliament overwhelmingly passes anti-BDS motion
Canada’s Parliament passed a motion formally condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. The motion passed Monday in a 229-51 vote, CIJ News reported. Introduced last week by members of the opposition Conservative Party, the motion won support from the ruling Liberal Party as well.

Report: Iranian Revolutionary Guards planning attack on Saudi airliner in Southeast Asia
A terrorist plot to hijack or bomb a Saudi Arabian passenger plane in Southeast Asia has reached an “advanced stage” of implementation, the Manila Times reported on Sunday. The news outlet cited “a reliable airport source,” that warned of the threat of a terrorist attack that would be carried out somewhere in Southeast Asia after Iran warned of “divine revenge” against Saudi Arabia following the kingdom’s execution of the Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr last month.

Afghan army abandons three bases in Helmand province
In an apparent bid to bolster security in other parts of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the Afghan army abandoned a number of its bases in two hard-fought districts over the weekend, according to a report from the Afghan news outlet TOLO News.

Obama Cracks Joke About Scalia’s Death
During his National Governors Association speech Monday, President Obama joked there was a lot to get done during his final days in office, including “appointing judges.”

Did you know that there are some U.S. states that have already officially fallen into recession? Economic activity all over the planet is in the process of slowing down, and there are some areas of the country that are really starting to feel the pain. In particular, any state that is heavily dependent on the energy industry is hurting right now. During the years immediately following the last recession, the energy industry was the primary engine for the growth of good paying jobs in America, but now that process is completely reversing. All over the U.S. energy companies are going under, and thousands upon thousands of good jobs are being lost. (Read More….)

MARK LEVIN — A little while back, I argued that Marco Rubio’s tactics in attacking Ted Cruz’s Senate record on immigration and national defense, among other things, were Alinskyite. They were and still are simply and demonstrably dishonest. Yet he persists, knowing full well that by the time the truth catches up with him, if ever, the damage will have been done…. (more)

MICHAEL HARRINGTON — I am Michael Harrington and I do numbers. I really love numbers. Therefore I always know a bit behind the scenes more than most. Oh and did I say I love politics? This breakdown shows how it is likely if there was no Democrats voting in S. Carolina that Ted Cruz would have won the Primary…. (more)

JOHN FUND — In his victory speech in South Carolina, Donald Trump vowed to sweep the twelve primaries held on Super Tuesday, March 1, and implied the race would then be over: “Let’s put this thing away!” He also belittled rivals who claimed that as the field shrinks, they will be able to close on Trump and deny him the nomination…. (more)

GREG COROMBOS — The father of 2016 Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz says they both get “energized” by political attacks, and he believes motivated Christian voters will be the deciding factor in this campaign…. (more)

NEWSMAX — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was remembered Saturday as a man who loved God, country and family at a funeral Mass capping two days of mourning for a jurist who left a long and sometimes provocative legacy on the nation…. (more)

NEWSMAX — Donald Trump, the brash New York billionaire who has upended all the rules of modern campaigning, won Saturday’s South Carolina primary in a decisive fashion that shrinks the prospects of his Republican presidential rivals to stop his march to the nomination…. (more)

ANDY WOODS — I had originally intended to write a series of posts explaining why Republican voters should select Ted Cruz in the upcoming primaries and reject Donald Trump. My working title for the series was going to be “Why We Must Choose Cruz and Dump Trump.”… (more)

PAT BOONE — Today, I announce I’m suspending my campaign for president of the United States. I choose this day because I love my country, and this is the best way I can manifest my deep devotion to her…. (more)

WEEKLY STANDARD — The most unpopular part of Obamacare now has a champion in the Republican presidential field. Via the Right Scoop, Donald Trump was asked on Thursday night by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “If…there’s no mandate for everybody to have insurance, what’s to – -why would an insurance company not have a preexisting – -insure somebody with a preexisting condition?”… (more)

TOWNHALL — Statement one: Within the last week, Donald Trump has attacked President Bush for failing to prevent 9/11, accused the Bush administration of intentionally lying the nation into war, and is now flat-out endorsing the central pillar of Obamacare – – a law he claims to oppose…. (more)

DAILY WIRE — Thursday night, real estate mogul Donald Trump continued to expose his liberal colors as he expressed his support for the Obamacare mandate. During the CNN town hall, Trump was asked why an insurance company would want to cover people with pre-existing conditions if there were no individual mandate…. (more)

CLIFF KINCAID — One topic of conversation in the Republican race for the White House has been whether President Obama has been incompetent or actually knows what he’s doing. On the matter of Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Obamacare, self-declared socialist Professor Gerald Friedman seems to agree with conservatives that it can’t and won’t work…. (more)

FORBES, SEPT. 28, 2015 — It suffices to say that Donald Trump has been all over the place on health care reform. Last month, at the first Republican presidential debate, Trump argued that socialized medicine in Scotland “works incredibly well.” At the same time, Trump has said that Obamacare has “gotta go” and that he would “repeal and replace [it] with something terrific.”… (more)

MARK SHEPARD — The importance of the Republican primary cannot be overstated. I say this as someone who came very close to running against Bernie Sanders when he first ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006. I have personally seen and battled against his ideas and influence in four elections, winning an underdog primary, followed by two terms in the Vermont Senate, and then running against a national-GOP-backed candidate in a congressional primary…. (more)

BREITBART — In an exclusive Q&A with Breitbart News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council President Chris Crane provides never-before-heard details about the 2013 Gang of Eight immigration fight that are likely to shake up an already tumultuous presidential race…. (more)

NRA — If Barack Obama and those like him fail in their goal of “fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” it will be in large part because of United States Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonin Gregory Scalia. Sadly, Justice Scalia passed away over the weekend…. (more)

NEW YORK TIMES — There is a reason Republican senators are so adamant in their refusal to let President Obama appoint a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia, a towering figure in conservative jurisprudence. An Obama appointment would be the most consequential ideological shift on the court since 1991, creating a liberal majority that would almost certainly reshape American law and American life…. (more)

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER — Let’s understand something about the fight to fill the Supreme Court seat of Antonin (“Nino”) Scalia. This is about nothing but raw power. Any appeal you hear to high principle is phony – – brazenly, embarrassingly so…. (more)

WASHINGTON TIMES — As the nation pays its respects to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Friday, friends and admirers say they will remember his combination of gregarious charm and matchless intellect that conservatives revered and many liberals couldn’t help but respect…. (more)

Daily Digest

February 23, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“The fundamental source of all your errors, sophisms and false reasonings is a total ignorance of the natural rights of mankind. Were you once to become acquainted with these, you could never entertain a thought, that all men are not, by nature, entitled to a parity of privileges.” —Alexander Hamilton, 1775

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

To paraphrase William Shakespeare, the villany Democrats teach, Republicans will execute, and it shall go hard but they will better the instruction. It wasn’t so long ago that the power was flipped in the Senate.

George W. Bush controlled the White House and Democrats controlled the upper chamber from 2001 to 2003. Bush nominated 32 judges during that time. Not one of them even made it to the Judiciary Committee for a hearing. In 2005, Democrats — including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton — filibustered the nomination of Samuel Alito. That same quintet is now leading the chorus calling for the Republican-controlled Senate to do its “constitutional duties” and rubber stamp whomever Obama nominates.

When Bush had a year and six months left in his last term, Sen. Chuck Schumer said unless something extraordinary happened, the Senate shouldn’t approve any Bush nominee. Going back to the last few weeks of George H.W Bush’s administration, Biden said Bush shouldn’t nominate anyone until after the 1992 presidential election was completed — the same thing Republicans are saying to Obama. But now that he’s co-captain in the Oval Office, Biden conveniently insists that “lengthy speech on the Senate floor about a hypothetical vacancy on the Supreme Court” … “is not an accurate description of my views on the subject.”

When members of the current administration occupied seats in the Senate, its views on the Senate’s role in the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice was robust. After all, the Senate offers its consent and advice, per the Constitution. But the Democrats’ interpretation of the Constitution changes with the political winds.

Amidst the FBI’s demands that Apple create software to break the security the tech company engineered into the iPhone, the underreported fact is that the government bungled its initial attempts to access the cell phone the San Bernardino County Health Department gave to eventual terrorist Syed Farook. The first mistake was the county didn’t set up the phone so that it had administrative access over the device. If it had taken that preemptive step, investigators could have easily gathered everything the phone could provide.

The second mistake was hours after the shooting when San Bernardino, working with the FBI, reset the phone’s iCloud password, allowing investigators to see the data the phone was automatically backing up to a remote location on Apple’s servers. Problem was, the last time the phone updated to iCloud was on Oct. 19 — weeks before the Dec. 2 shooting. There was information still on the phone. Investigators [could have teased that information from the phone by turning on the phone’s automatic updates, going to a location frequented by Farook and the device would have automatically sent information to iCloud. Voilà! With the recent information in the cloud, then investigators could have reset Farook’s iCloud password. Instead, the government is trying to force Apple to destroy the security protocols it has built into its current devices because a series of government mistakes.

“Do we have freedom of speech, or freedom to speak only what law-enforcement can monitor?” wrote National Review’s Andrew McCarthy. “Does the Fourth Amendment guarantee freedom from unreasonable searches, or afford only whatever expectation of privacy the government, not the society, decides is reasonable — and cabined by what the government is technologically capable of searching?” What the FBI misses is that our rights are given by the Creator, not an incompetent mid-level bureaucrat.

Instead of firing misbehaving administrators, the Department of Veterans Affairs simply shuffled the bureaucrats off to another VA hospital in another state. After crunching the data, the Daily Caller found that almost 100 VA administrators worked in at least three states over the last eight years — often at the cost of pay bumps and hefty relocation fees. When it comes to doctors or pharmacists, some of whom ran afoul with disciplinary or licensing issues, the VA simply played bureaucratic musical chairs, shuffling about 600 VA employees across the country. “Whatever the reasons,” wrote Luke Rosiak, investigative journalist for The Caller, “Secretary Bob McDonald, who promised a transformation of the VA when he took over in 2014, is trying to fix past mistakes by moving around the same people who oversaw them, not bringing in new leaders.” Recently, the Deputy Secretary for the VA Sloan Gibson said he stood by his decision to fire a VA medical center director in Albany, despite the decision being reversed by the department’s Merit Systems Protection Board. The bureaucracy in the state-run health care system is entrenched, protecting its own at the expense of those it is supposed to serve — veterans.

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FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS

Today’s Nevada caucuses are likely to be a rough repeat of South Carolina’s primary Saturday. In a state famous for gambling, casino mogul Donald Trump will win, followed by Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz duking it out for second place. John Kasich and Ben Carson will follow with a distant fourth and fifth. Trump’s business connections to the state in addition to his overall draw are likely going to be too much for any of the competitors to overcome.

In our estimation, Trump continues to win for two reasons. First (and most important), as we’ve been saying all along, Trump’s card is the ace of anger affirmation. He’s tapping into an entirely justified swell of frustration among voters created by Barack Obama and left insufficiently addressed by the GOP establishment. Trump gives voice to politically incorrect things voters only wish they could say with impunity. He’ll make great deals. He’ll knock heads together. He’ll upend Washington, DC. He’ll make America great again. What’s not to like?

A lot, actually. A constantly self-contradicting narcissistic liberal with New York values is not the answer to our nation’s questions or problems. And among numerous profanity-laden tirades, we’ve been told to “burn in hell with [our] 30 pieces of silver” for saying so. True story — that’s an actual quote. What can we say? We’re going to stand for our constitutional principles, even if people wish us eternal damnation for it.

Second, Trump is leading because of the still-large and divided field of opponents. The GOP presidential race began with a staggering 17 candidates, and five yet remain. Only one of them gets 24/7 media coverage. Trump’s appeal runs deep (though not wide), leaving the rest of the field to divide up two-thirds of the votes. Two-thirds wins unless it’s divided.

And boy are Trump’s opponents divided. The latest spat involves one of Cruz’s top aides posting a video of Rubio making comments about the Bible with a (deliberate) mis-transcription of his remarks at the bottom. The details of the embarrassing episode are hardly the point. It’s the fact that the incessant fratricidal infighting has gotten this ridiculous. At this point, the infighting is self-perpetuating, and it leaves Kasich and Carson an opening to stay in the race when neither of them should.

Cruz and Rubio are both outstanding conservatives, and if this cycle hadn’t been turned on its head with Trump’s antics, they might be jostling for first place, not second. Instead, they’re only hurting each other, and the end result might be a party led by a man who thinks its last president was a war criminal. That may be what Republicans deserve, but our nation needs better.

What are we fighting for? We ask that question in more than one sense — both “why” we’re fighting and “what” we’re aiming to achieve.

Limited-government constitutional conservatism is the best — indeed, the only — way to make American great again. We must get back to being governed by Rule of Law, and thus enjoying the fruits of real Liberty. Rubio and Cruz are each able to carry that torch. Trump simply won’t, no matter how many are willing to roll the dice on him. Unless the two senators pick up their game, Trump will continue to collect all the chips.

TOP HEADLINES

OPINION IN BRIEF

Stephen Moore: “When I was a smart-aleck college student, I had a sign on my dorm-room door that read: ‘Reality is for those who can’t handle drugs.’ Maybe the 2016 version should go like this: ‘Bernie Sanders and socialism are for those who can’t handle reality.’ Socialism’s comeback is mystifying to most clear-thinking people. Do people who support Sanders and socialism walk around with shutters over their eyes so they don’t have to observe the reality of what is happening in the world around them? The remarkable thing about the rise of Bernie Sanders is that his popularity runs in the counter-direction to how socialism is actually working. … Economic freedom is, of course, the opposite of socialism. Nations that are economically free have freer trade, smaller welfare states, lower taxes, a lighter hand with regulation, private ownership of the means of production and the rule of law. Countries that are economically free have five times the per capita average annual income ($55,000) of countries that are the least free ($9,000). Not only that, economic freedom is also highly correlated with better education, improved health and a cleaner environment. The poor do better in nations that are economically free and worse in Bernie Sanders land. In short, countries that are economically free are healthy, wealthy and wise. This reality seems to be lost on those high on the drug of socialism.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.” —Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924)

Upright: “We have a constitutional guarantee against unreasonable searches — generally, searches without warrants based on probable cause. … Our rights pre-exist and are independent of law enforcement’s capacity to intrude on them. It is law enforcement’s burden to evolve technological surveillance capabilities that can be deployed in a manner consistent with our rights; our rights are not burdened by the confines of law enforcement’s capabilities. The point of the Constitution is to limit government’s ability to intrude on liberty, not to limit the scope of liberty to government’s capacity for intrusion.” —Andrew McCarthy

Belly laugh of the week: “Bernie Sanders won 47 percent on Saturday. I haven’t seen the figure ’47 percent’ get this much bad press since Mitt Romney’s comments to donors.” —Jim Geraghty

The BIG Lie: “I do not believe in regulation for regulation’s sake, contrary to rumor. This idea that somehow I get a kick out of big government is just not the case.” —Barack Obama

Rules are for the little people: “[Hillary Clinton], a high ranking official who should know better, [was] completely given a pass, and almost an apologetic pass. So how should us regular citizens feel, especially with heightened concerns about national security?” —Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA officer jailed for exposing classified intel

Village Idiots: “[Y]ou know that I know that you know that the system is rigged! For too long we’ve given our votes to corporate puppets. Sold the okie doke. … That’s why I am officially endorsing my brother, Bernie Sanders.” —director Spike Lee (“It’s the 75-year-old white man in Congress for 30 years who understands the hardships young blacks face today.” —Stephen Miller)

And last… “If Biden can get away with pointing to a comprehensive videotaped speech and saying ‘I didn’t say that’ we really are in a post-factual age.” —Charles C.W. Cooke

‘Risen’ outperforms horror film in ‘good vs. evil’ battle

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Christian Examiner

The faith-based film Risen outperformed expectations and opened in the Top 3 at the box office over the weekend, even beating a new horror film in what observers had labeled a good vs. evil movie battle.

America Under A Strong Delusion

Recently, I have reluctantly come to the realization that Americans, with very few exceptions, are really not interested in facts or logic. We are living among a generation where facts no longer seem to matter.

The truth of the matter is that America is finally under the judgment of God. Our nation has been given over to what it wants. America is under a deluding influence.

Azusa Now, Catholics and…Greg Laurie?

There’s an interesting connection between NAR/Latter Rain leader Lou Engle, his Azusa Now unity movement and Greg Laurie’s Harvest America. First, the event itself: “Can you believe with us that denominations will unite, that the races could come together, that God could make us one, as the antidote to the terrific division in our day? […]

Doctrinal distinctives? Divisions? Not any more. Several major denominations will be blended up smoother than a Vitamix cocktail in a few weeks. This summer, a “Next Great Awakening” is bringing Assemblies of God Supt. George O. Wood and Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd together to link arms in spiritual unity with the Pentecostal Charismatic […]

Gladiator-style takedown of demonic forces…naming names, Part 2

By Marsha West It really doesn’t matter whether or not people believe in angels and demons. And it doesn’t matter if skeptics think those who do are wingnuts. The fact remains that a large number of educated, intelligent people believe in supernatural beings such as angels, demons, spirit guides, fairies, ghosts, poltergeists and whatnot. It’s […]

This week’s Look.It.Up. Question:

NEW! BEREANS: CAN WOLVES BE CHRISTIANS? Jesus warned us of false teachers and “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Yet many will scold you for warning about the likes of known false teachers (whom we are to mark and avoid), claiming that these teachers are Christian. Opinions are plentiful, but what does God’s Word say? Look.It.Up. Guidelines: […]

The cult of women’s self-esteem

Self-esteem is not a biblical concept. In fact, selfism was birthed in humanistic philosophy and psychology. Before we get to Dalrock’s piece, let’s hear what the Bible says: Many define self-esteem as “feelings of worth based on their skills, accomplishments, status, financial resources, or appearance.” This kind of self-esteem can lead a person to feel […]

Elizabeth Prata of The End Time is to be commended for tackling such a controversial topic as this one will surely be. Full disclosure: My husband and I are fans of Fixer Upper and regularly watch the show. So when I came across Elizabeth’s blog post, my first thought was, “Uh-oh.” Nevertheless, I felt I should […]

I Used to Be Transgender. Here’s My Take on Kids Who Think They Are Transgender.

By Walt Heyer When a 9-year-old boy who identifies as Stormi, a transgender girl, started selling Girl Scout cookies, one neighbor was not amused, according to Buzzfeed. The neighbor rebuffed him, reportedly saying, “Nobody wants to buy Girl Scout cookies from a boy in a dress.” The neighbor is being called transphobic—but perhaps the neighbor thought […]

Pope Francis calls Donald Trump “not Christian” over wall stance

Ironically this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Many Protestants believe that Pope Francis isn’t a true Christian either. Why? Because he teaches a false gospel. (See our White Paper on the RCC). That aside, the Pope of Rome has no business injecting his personal views into American politics the way […]

Pastor sleeps outside because his church pushes gays in the cold

Aren’t pastors supposed to preach the Word, in and out of season? Or should they leverage the season to preach in favor of normalizing the sins Jesus died to forgive? It’s all mixed up. Michigan news outlets are cheering on a local pastor for taking a stand against his mean denomination in this one-sided report: […]

Goddess Worship in America and How It’s Affecting the Church

Lighthouse Trails is offering a new booklet tract by Maria Kneas and John Lanagan. The booklet reveals the little known fact that full-blown Goddess worship developed in the 1950s. Goddess worship is embraced by the world of the occult. Witchcraft, radical feminism and even some liberal churches is steeped in goddess worship. The occult world holds to […]

People who use the Logos ecosystem may be interested in several Cruciform Press bundles that are deeply discounted. Also, they have just begun a sale on Wipf & Stock resources which may be of special interest to pastors, students, and scholars.

Justin Taylor shares D.A. Carson’s answer to Tony Reinke’s question. (Did you get all that?) “It is sad if knowledgeable pastors don’t make use of Barth, but it is even more sad if they make a wrong use of Barth. Barth has the capacity to say contradictory things without embarrassment.”

John Piper writes about life, dreams, and goals after 70. “At 70, I am energized to dream great things, because this year Hillary turns 69, Bernie turns 75, and Donald turns 70. … They only get to be President of a tiny territory called the U.S.A. I get to be an ambassador of the Sovereign of the universe.”

Is it possible that our generation will see the end of malaria? “The Nobel laureate Baruch Blumberg once estimated that malaria has killed half of the people who have ever lived. In 2015 alone, it killed almost half a million people, 70 percent of which were children. Today, about 3.2 billion people are, according to the World Health Organization, at risk of contracting it, most of whom are children and pregnant women.”

One word of God can do more than ten thousand words of men to relieve a distressed soul. —John Flavel

Our Time is Short

What is The Gospel?

God made everything out of nothing, including you and me. His main purpose in creation was to bring him pleasure.

The chief way in which we as humanity do this is through loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.

Instead of this, we have sinned against our loving Creator and acted in high-handed rebellion.

God has vowed that he will righteously and lovingly judge sinners with eternal death.

But God, being merciful, loving, gracious, and just, sent his own son, Jesus Christ, in the likeness of man to live as a man; fulfilling his perfect requirements in the place of sinners; loving, obeying, and enjoying him perfectly.

And further, his son bore the eternal judgment of God upon the cross of Calvary, as he satisfied the eternal anger of God, standing in the place of sinners. God treated Jesus as a sinner, though he was perfectly sinless, that he might declare sinners as perfect.

This glorious transaction occurs as the sinner puts their faith (dependence, trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ as their substitute. God then charges Christ’s perfection to the sinner, and no longer views him as an enemy but instead an adopted son covered in the perfect righteousness of his son.

God furnished proof that this sacrifice was accepted by raising Jesus from the dead.

God will judge the world in righteousness and all of those who are not covered in the righteousness of Christ, depending on him for forgiveness, will be forced to stand on their own to bear the eternal anger of God.

There is no greater message to be heard than that which we call the gospel. But as important as that is, it is often given to massive distortions or over simplifications. People think they’re preaching the gospel to you when they tell you, ‘you can have a purpose to your life’, or that ‘you can have meaning to your life’, or that ‘you can have a personal relationship with Jesus.’ All of those things are true, and they’re all important, but they don’t get to the heart of the gospel.

The gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness–or lack of it –or the righteousness of another. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.

The great misconception in our day is this: that God isn’t concerned to protect His own integrity. He’s a kind of wishy-washy deity, who just waves a wand of forgiveness over everybody. No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith–and by faith alone. The only way you can receive the benefit of Christ’s life and death is by putting your trust in Him–and in Him alone. You do that, you’re declared just by God, you’re adopted into His family, you’re forgiven of all of your sins, and you have begun your pilgrimage for eternity.

The Gospel In A Nutshell

Now, with regard to this rule of faith—that we may from this point acknowledge what it is which we defend—it is, you must know, that which prescribes the belief that there is one only God, and that He is none other than the Creator of the world, who produced all things out of nothing through His own Word, first of all sent forth; that this Word is called His Son, and, under the name of God, was seen “in diverse manners” by the patriarchs, heard at all times in the prophets, at last brought down by the Spirit and Power of the Father into the Virgin Mary, was made flesh in her womb, and, being born of her, went forth as Jesus Christ; thenceforth He preached the new law and the new promise of the kingdom of heaven, worked miracles; having been crucified, He rose again the third day; (then) having ascended into the heavens, He sat at the right hand of the Father; sent instead of Himself the Power of the Holy Ghost to lead such as believe; will come with glory to take the saints to the enjoyment of everlasting life and of the heavenly promises, and to condemn the wicked to everlasting fire, after the resurrection of both these classes shall have happened, together with the restoration of their flesh. This rule, as it will be proved, was taught by Christ, and raises amongst ourselves no other questions than those which heresies introduce, and which make men heretics.

If you picked up a hitchhiker (not that I recommend doing that) and he saw a Bible on your car seat and said, “I’ve heard about this thing called the Gospel – can you explain it to me before you drop me off in one minute up the street?” What would you say?

Can you explain the gospel in 30 seconds? In one minute? In five minutes?

Here’s one way I have found helpful. The five main components of the gospel can be remembered on 5 fingers of one hand. Here they are:

Obviously each point can be elaborated on depending on how much time you have. Here’s the short version:

1) Jesus’ birth – Jesus, God himself, the creator of the universe, the Messiah, became a human being – took on flesh, and was born of a virgin.

2) Jesus’ life – Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to his Father. Though he was tempted in every way as we are, he never once sinned.

3) Jesus’ death – on the cross, Jesus himself took all our sins and paid for them. God the father counted all our sins to Jesus as if he himself had personally committed them. Then Jesus bore God’s wrath towards sin – the punishment we deserved – as a substitute for us.

4) Jesus’ resurrection – within 3 days, Jesus rose physically from the dead, proving that his sacrifice for sins have been accepted by God, since the punishment for sin was death. Jesus was seen by numerous people after he rose including 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15).

5) Jesus’ ascension – Jesus ascended physically into heaven where he reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. And someday he will return to the earth.

That’s the gospel, the good news, and if we believe in Jesus Christ and this good news and call upon him he will save us from our sins and give us eternal life.

That’s a simple way to remember the gospel – five fingers. Even a child can do it. So ask God to give you opportunities to share his good news today.

Ready to start your new life with God?

Who do you think that I am?

With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.

Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.

Resource Links

CanIKnowGod.com is a website inspired by LifesGreatestQuestion.com, with new content, images, audio and video that will help you understand more about who God is and how to know Him. The site is mobile responsive and has an infinite scroll which makes for a very user-friendly experience. After you indicate a decision on CanIKnowGod.com, you are directed to a page that details what it means to have a new and transformed life through Jesus Christ. There’s even a Facebook page for daily updates, encouragement and scripture sharing.

Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!

30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.

New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.

Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.

“A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a council without it…” – Martin Luther

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

— Augustine

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This post is the second in a four part series on the relationship between secularization and the sexual revolution. Mohler writes:

“The background to this great intellectual shift is the secularization of Western societies. Modernity has brought many cultural goods, but it has also, as predicted, brought a radical change in the way citizens of Western societies think, feel, relate, and reason. The Enlightenment’s liberation of reason at the expense of revelation was followed by a radical anti-supernaturalism that can scarcely be exaggerated. Looking at Europe and Great Britain, it is clear that the Modern Age has alienated an entire civilization from its Christian roots, along with Christian moral and intellectual commitments. This did not happen all at once, of course, though the change came very quickly in nations such as France and Germany. Scandinavian nations now register almost imperceptible levels of Christian belief. Increasingly, the same is also true of Great Britain. Sociologists now speak openly of the death of Christian Britain—and the evidence of Christian decline is abundant.”